The Beast Wars and Humans too?
by AnimeDreama
Summary: Caitlin's life hadn't been exceptional. Until she was abducted, DNA-changed, flung back in time and told that she had to aid the Maximals. What'll happen next? Friendship? War? Hate? Revenge? Discovery? Change? ... Love? Pain? Rating T for now.
1. Prologue

Ok. So no one gets confused with me: I've been spending a great deal of time rewriting what I've already written. Don't know how many things I've added, deleted or changed - but everything is basically the same. There's something to say about self-editing and efficiency, but damn if it isn't the most annoying thing on this earth other than writers block. I think I spend more time editing than I do writing the next chapters...

But I've already done the editing, I just need to slot it all back into place. If you wish to reread it, you can. There might be something there you hadn't noticed before or bits I hadn't been sure put in but did this time around - or things I've just put in for the heck of it.

So: I own nothing but my OC's.

And please Read and Review.  
And as always: Enjoy and if you don't, tell me why.

* * *

**TITLE: Beast Wars... and _Humans_ Too? (WHAT IS THIS?!)**

_**Prologue: "My name is... Well, you can call me Sam."**_

Idly staring at the blank screen of her computer, a young woman sat listening to dangerous storm brewing outside. It was a rather strange storm. It had come upon her home all too suddenly for it to be '_normal_'. While she wasn't a suspicious soul - and by that she meant believing in mythical occurrences (besides coincidence and the very fickle thing called: _Karma_), within reason. However, she couldn't help but think that something supernatural was happening right outside her door. The storm had blasted its way through the streets, uprooting trees and sending rubbish bins sprawling. Litter frolicked wildly in the gust along the ground, joined by wayward leaves in a frantic, wild dance that would make _anyone_ annoyingly dizzy by watching them spin and twirl in the wind.

Not that anyone was outside, of course. They had to be _mad_; which was why she sat at her computer desk, straining against her instincts to run for cover under the sanctuary of her bed: with added security blanket included. And maybe her teddy-tiger. She was forcing herself to stay calm, but still: those strange flashes of technicoloured light that struck the ground in reckless abandon; had her thinking this was no mere storm. It was the first time in her 18 years that she'd ever seen such colours.

"This is just my luck," she muttered sarcastically to herself (half to complain and half to let out some of her increasing agitation). She zipped up her black-hooded jacket and slid her hands into her pockets to keep them from fidgeting. She cast a cursory glance around the empty room. "I'm alone in a supernatural, storm disaster."

(Okay, so it wasn't exactly helping her, but admitting you had a problem was the first step to overcoming it, right? RIGHT?!)

She sighed upwards and stood. Frigidly-calmly, she headed to her room. She pulled out her black travelling backpack and started shoving some clothes into it. If worse came to worse, she knew she might have to travel to her closest friends' place; in case of an emergency. While she'd never been a participant in a natural disaster before (forgoing floods and the aftermath of cyclones); she'd feel better if she took into practice what her SES-trained mother had deigned to teach her. She had to be prepared for whatever may come. Her paranoia demanded nothing less.

It had been a while since a storm even remotely similar had reached Australia. She wasn't anxious to see herself get hurt, or worse. So, she headed to the kitchen and grabbed some tin-food. Thinking she might as well, she headed to the cupboard in the hallway and grabbed a sleeping back, back to her room to grab a pillow: and then the bathroom. She grabbed toothpaste and her toothbrush, her hairbrush and some spare elastic bands. She shoved all the small things into a satchel containing her female necessities. She went into her mother's old room and found 5 lighters and back to the lounge room to grab her IPod, MP3 and mobile. They were all charged. These went into her pockets, but the chargers were shoved into her bag. She'd listen to them later on, but she'd die if she left them behind. Music calmed her down in most cases. She figured she'd need it.

Having located everything she thought she might need, she unplugged all the electrical devices in the house: all but the home phone. She'd taken out all the light bulbs too, just in case an electrical surge shot them out and sent sprays of glass upon her. Call her paranoid (because she was); but she'd rather listen to her paranoia and lessen the likelihood of the possibility of pain: than gain said pain.

She took one last look over her house, feeling more alone now than ever before. "This is one of those moments you wished you'd taken life-survival courses," she sighed to drown out the quiet. She folded her arms as lightning crashed somewhere near, and then proceeded to try and ignore then strange storm as best she could.

With that being said, it was easier said than done.

* * *

Unknown to the 18-year-old, all alone in her house: a strange hole opened up in the sky. A ball of light, the size of a bus that had been folded up and smoothed down into the size of a basketball, hovered above her house. It pulsated in a rhythm like a heartbeat. Its edges started flashing and all too suddenly: ...It folded in on itself as if it was an orange being squeezed. It shook haphazardly before suddenly zooming in on her home...

..._Exactly_ right where she was sitting in her house.

A strange sensation of shivers running down her spine to every cell of her body caused her to stand to attention. From behind her eyes, she noticed her house suddenly light up. Snapping her eyes open, having not realised she'd closed them: she felt the terror that she'd tried so desperately to keep at bay. Dropping to the floor, she curled into herself as something collided with the window. The impact broke the glass in a shower of painful needles that pierced her clothing, nicking her skin. She witnessed a bright, glowing light veer towards her; as if it saw her. She screamed as it approached, closing her eyes as it slammed into her uncovered chest before she could turn away.

It caught her mid-scream. She froze; eyes wide in silent pain...

As the world faded around her; she felt electrical currents run through every vein and artery, every nerve ending. It was excruciating, but then... there was nothing. No pain. She blinked up at the ceiling as her vision blurred in an out. She couldn't tell if what she was seeing was really there. Her eyes tried to focus on it, but, bleary eyed as she was: the edges of her vision started to grow dark...

...It was a weird.., and glowing... Creature.

Darker eyes blinked at her, but then: everything went dark and she was lost to the darkness...

* * *

It was cold.

The feeling of weightlessness pressed at her subconscious, but what stood out the most: was the cold. She tried to move, but wasn't expecting to find pressure on her wrists. She opened eyes: but all she saw was a bright light that beamed mercilessly down on her. Her eyes snapped closed and she cried out in pain. It was bright, too bright! Flinching a few times, she squinted through the light... Her heart dropped from where it had sat. A few moments later, she felt a pressure on her lungs. It took her a moment to realise she'd been holding her breath. She quickly released it and heaved in a few gulp-full of air that she'd been starved for. She'd never had a panic attack before, but she'd seen other's who had a seizure of rapid breaths and panicked eyes; so she knew she was experiencing one right now. She'd rather be ignorant of it, to be honest.

When she had squinted through the light; she'd seen something that was purely from a movie of the sci-fi category...

Mechanical devices were everywhere. She didn't even need to tilt her head downwards to realise that she was bound; and completely naked beneath a strange, liquid-sheet that covered her body. It was strangely comforting that liquid-blanket. It was electric-blue in colour; with black and ruby red blots of colour, merging with the blue. Twisting and twirling around her. She noticed that it was moving; like it had a consciousness that was reacting to her fear. It seemed to be making an effort to calm her down. It sent soothing pulses over her as if someone was caressing her: a mother reassuring their child that everything was ok. A singular tendril broke free from the rest. It climbed up her neck, split in two: and then hovered above her eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat as two would-be eyes blinked at her. Then, they speared through her pupils! She screamed, but it was over before her mind even registered whatever pain there could have-_should have _been. Her heart threatened to explode out of her chest as she tried to make sense of what had happened... Slowly, hesitantly: she opened her eyes. Now, she had never needed glasses before to read or other reasons: but she found she could see with far better clarity than ever before... It was as if she'd been blind all along, and hadn't noticed. Details she had missed before were now startlingly clear. Curious, she looked to the far side, where movement had flickered in the corners of her peripheral vision. It turned out... there were glowing balls of light everywhere. There were many, many different colours...

Then, suddenly: a bright yellow ball broke free from the merge of flashing streams: and she noticed self-consciously that the liquid-blanket, the only source of her modesty: had disappeared. She wondered where the hell it had gone, panic rising in her throat: but the yellow ball had already approached. Dark yellow would-be eyes, blinked down at her. "Human!" a guttural voice snapped from somewhere; and she flinched as she felt her heart race again.

She closed her eyes, but when nothing happened, she opened them. She saw the... ball of light, change its shape. From it, grew a humanoid form. It kept its glowing yellow eyes, but upon something sort of-kind of familiar: she almost wept with relief. But this... whatever it was, had probably only taken that form so she didn't have another panic attack, and faint.

How considerate... _If_ that had been its intention.

"What is your name, human?" the thing asked. This time, he/she/it was gentle in its tone, and hovered close beside her.

"C-C-C-C," she stuttered. She stopped immediately. Her pride, no matter how freaked out it was, would not accept being seen as a fool. She cleared her throat and made an effort to be calm, if only to ensure she didn't panic and subject herself to its mercy... if it had any, that was. When she was sure she wouldn't trip over her words, she looked at the... thing, "Caitlin," and this time with a confidence she didn't feel: "My name is Caitlin."

"_Caitlin_," the stranger repeated as if testing the weight of the word on its... '_Tongue_?' (Did it even have one?) Then, a satisfied expression swept over its '_face'_ (which was too large and glow-y... like Edward Cullen had stepped into the sunlight... except more bright and alien). "Caitlin," it repeated. It seemed to grow taller a few inches, its '_arms'_, sweeping behind its back. It was then Caitlin realised it was... floating in mid-air. "I take it you are wondering why you are here, and... what has happened to you."

She blinked, running over his words. _'Yes, those are some valued questions', _she thought inwardly. _'Why hadn't I asked those when I'd woken up?'_

"More or less," she spoke when she realised she'd been quiet for too long. She stared uncomprehendingly, then blinked at a certain, small but important, detail. A surge of terror laced its way through her spine, speared her stomach with a swirl of nausea: and grasped her heart, constricting it. "Wait! What do you mean by.., '_What has happened to me'_?"

The humanoid sighed with feeling. It compliantly raised its '_hands'_, so as not to appear threatening (or it might have been his intention. Caitlin didn't feel any less threatened by its impossible existence). _'Good luck with that!'_ were her thoughts on his attempts. Then, he spoke. His tone sounded... nervous? "You would not be able to survive in our... spaceship," he said calmly and matter-of-fact, "If we had left you as you were. That liquid you saw earlier... was in fact, your soul."

"My... _soul_?!" she deadpanned... first balls of light that could change ship, to aliens and spaceships... and now souls? What did she _do_ in a past life?! "Say what?!"

It smiled at her confusion (and how dare he, she would have punched him right then and there if she could. As it was, all she could do was grit her teeth and level a death glare; the kind you were surprised didn't set the object of their anger to combust into flames). "More or less," he (or at least she thought it was a he) said in a frustratingly humoured tone. "But, it is the physical representation of your soul, mixed with the DNA and essence, of one of our own. It was merged with yours. Now, you are something of a hybrid between our species." As if noticing her increasing panic, he added reassuringly, "But don't worry. You appear as human as you were. You have not been harmed at all. You have only gained... unique abilities."

"So," she drawled as her mind ran through the implications. She couldn't completely comprehend what she'd been told. "So basically, you like: reconstructed my DNA?" she asked. This was not something her mind could easily wrap around. Her soul had just been laid out bare before a species she'd never encountered. Everything that was her was encoded in her DNA and soul... and these strange beings had trifled with it, gone through it with neither her knowledge nor her permission. Anger coursed through her, but she didn't act on her desire to try kill the creature. For one, she didn't know if they could die. Two, she was bound.

"Yes," he chuckled, ignorant of her emotions. A beat of silence, then: "My name is... Well, you can call me Sam."

That stumped her. "_Sam_?" She tried to wrap her head around the fact that this alien was called _Sam_, of all things. However, she supposed she should count it as a blessing. She could, at least, pronounce the name and, _not_ annoy the strange living organism that talked to her like any another '_person'_, as it were. Seeing as she could do nothing to change what had happened to her, she sighed. She wished she could grab her hair and yell her frustration, but she'd have to do that another time. She peered up at him, "So... _what_ am I doing here?" she asked, then added the important one, "And _what_ are you?!"

San sighed to himself then stepped closer. He waved his '_hand'_ over her body as she watched detachedly, (while on the inside she was squirming. She was naked for crying out loud... no one but her mother and her sisters had seen her in this state!) And then whatever had been binding her, disappeared. She was free to sit up. So, she did, but slowly. Well, she did that the second time she tried to sit up. The first try had landed her back down on the table, head spinning violently.

Wrapping an arm over her developed, DD breasts, she looked up at him with a deep blush, self-conscious. "Um, is there something I can wear?"

Sam chuckled, as if amused, but before could react and hit him with... something, he clapped his hands. He turned his back as two smaller balls of light appeared. They were red and white in colour respectively. They took the form of would-be nurses, which was as close as she could describe them. After all, they had '_dressed'_ in the atypical nurse uniform. Then, they summoned a sleeveless black shirt and pants... seemingly out of thin air. Caitlin was quick to dress in them. The material was unlike any she'd known. It seemed like a second layer of skin when she put it on, smoother than silk: and wasn't uncomfortable in any way. "Cool," she exclaimed as she slipped on the boots she'd been handed. They were like those shit-kicker boots. She turned to the '_nurses'_ and gave a small bow because she didn't know what else to do, "Thank you."

They smiled in reply, "You are most welcome."

Caitlin watched as they returned to their ball of light forms. She had to blink at the sudden change of shape. It was as if they were used to doing such a thing... perhaps being a ball of light had its downsides... Though she didn't think they ever needed a torch to see where they were going in the dark.

"It is rare for us to pick up a human," Sam said. Her attention shifted to him, finding him perched on a chair she didn't remember seeing. She was truck at the odd sight of such a 'humanised' action from the alien. "So, you've attracted a lot of attention," he smiled, bringing her out of her stupor.

She tilted her head to the side, curious, "What for?"

He gazed at her with his non-human eyes. "Forgive me if this upsets you, but humans were a by-product of an experiment."

'_Well_,' she thought, surprised, '_Score one for atheism and agnosticism_!'

She shrugged at his curious gaze. She supposed she should be freaking out. For so long, she'd grown up hearing about God and Jesus, and ultimately the Devil. She didn't quite believe in such things, but she had not thrown away the notion that maybe, possibly there was such a thing. The answer would come eventually, she had often said, but not by the words of a human. "A thing she should learn about some humans," she smiled at him, "is that some of us are more adaptable than others. Though, we rarely branch out from what we know," she mused more to herself. Force her into a social situation regarding news, sports or hair and she'd be bored as post. However, when discussing something philosophical or even the 'truth' about religion; and she could talk to anyone. Often the result was she was left alone... as she always planned. She opened her eyes, unaware that she'd closed then. "Is there a reason as to why you're impersonating a human?" she asked, curious.

A thoughtful look passed over Sam's features. "I have always been interested in humans," he admitted sheepishly. "Talking to you was not on my agenda. I couldn't help but that the opportunity, however. What better way to learn, than to talk to the subject of my research?" he asked with a sly grin.

Caitlin smiled in reply, though it was more of a movement of lips than feeling, "If you're so interested, why not ask to live amongst them for a while?"

Another thoughtful look, "I could."

She decided to talk about humanity as a subject. The talking was helping her come to terms with her... odd situation. "Though, you'll have to factor in each culture," she warned. For a creature that had created her kind, he didn't seem to know a lot about them. Or, maybe he did, she didn't know.

"Culture?" he asked.

'_Okay_,' she thought. '_He doesn't know shit.'_

She hopped atop the table that she had woken in, crossed her legs and propped her chin on her closed fist. She distanced her disbelief at what should be impossible, and forced herself to think of the '_guy'_ as merely that: a guy. "Yes. There are many cultures on Earth. Then, there are subcultures. And those subcultures will have subcultures within them. There are many versions of the same thing, but different practices and understandings. Some are more guidelines than an actual religion. Some are: Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholic... and well, a whole lot I couldn't even begin to understand or explain. It get's confusing when you don't understand the society's norms and beliefs, I suppose. But those can be learnt by observing, and even asking. Had to do that once at school," she mused, staring into the distance at a particular memory.

The entire class had to watch a movie based on an African tribe that still practiced that procedure that men and women alike cringed at when hearing of it.

Clearing her throat, rolling her shoulders as if to shake off the image, she continued talking, "Anyways, there are different belief systems: atheist, agnostic, and the believer. An atheist will completely disbelieve any and all religion. An agnostic will often believe that religion can neither be proved nor disproved. And a believer is just that. A believer. Those who disbelieve in religion often abide by their own moral code, or lack thereof."

A pause, then: "How can a science experiment grow into a mass of cultures?" Sam wondered to himself out loud. Caitlin's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. She forced herself to be calm. It was apparent that the species that were '_entertaining'_ her; were in fact, the real creators of life on earth. As weird as it was, it was in her best interests not to piss him, or any one of his kind, off. She didn't know of their abilities. Seeing their ship, she'd say there were more technologically advanced than humans. They might have some weapons of mass destruction she didn't know about... (Sometimes she hated her paranoia). So, she simply shrugged at him. "What are you, in your culture?" Sam asked curious. Caitlin got the strange sensation that he looked much like a teenager enjoying and interested in his class...

Of all the things...

"Agnostic," she replied tonelessly. "And I was right in saying that it wouldn't be a human, who revealed the truth."

Sam nodded, "I can see why."

"Can you?" she asked, her tone pointed as she cocked a brow.

Same froze at that response. Before he could speak, however; a purple ball of light burst into being before them. Caitlin saw Sam returning to this sphere shape out of the corner of her eyes. Her gaze shifted to the purple-light; and froze as a meaner looking version of a humanoid appeared. She had the sudden image of Thor; the Norse God of Thunder. However, she didn't particularly like what she saw. In fact, she was rather intimidated by it. "Why is this human not ready for her journey?" the new one demanded harshly.

Caitlin reflexively flinched under that tone of voice, feeling an urge to duck behind cover.

"She has yet to be tested to see if she's ready," one of the '_nurses'_ said, appearing before the unknown one. Caitlin's eyes widened as various mechanical things came racing towards her. Many, many needles and sharp, pointy objects... She had a healthy wariness and dislike of them... "We were just beginning before you arrived."

Caitlin tried not to make faces as her face and entire body was pressed and prodded. Her arms were made to move in consecutive circles; then up and down. The same with her legs... Her eyes widened when very-sharp, needles began to poke at – and into – her skin. She saw vials filled with different colours; but then indescribable being seared through her. It burnt her insides in erratic flushes of hot and cold until they seemed the same. Her head threw back, her mouth widened in a silent scream. A sharp jab in the middle of her spine, brought forth that scream. It pierced the silence like thunder.

Dimly, she heard the unknown male speaking... "...urry up! There can be no delays! ...Samaghopijkho!"

"Yes sir?" Sam's voice cut through the pain, and she tried to focus on it. _Anything_ to help ignore the pain!

"Inform her of what she is meant to do. Then, report back to me!"

"Yes sir!" was all she remembered as her world began to fade into the dark.

The pain was too great. But concerned, alien yellow eyes flashed in the darkness as they peered down at her.

Then, she was lost in a sea of impenetrable black...

* * *

When Caitlin regained consciousness, and opened her eyes: she was helped into a standing position by Sam. He looked apologetic. His humanoid hand was warm on her shoulder as he caught her against him. Her limbs were shaky from the shock. "We were going to do that slower," he explained, "but it seemed Thoraphansohlk was too impatient. I am very sorry about that. It was not my intention to cause you unnecessary harm. The procedure can... have nasty side effects." Caitlin only glared at him as she was lead around the room, in too much pain to procreate a proper response to his statement. The '_nurses_' removed a needle from her arm. After checking her over, they deemed her ready to leave as they allowed her to sit back down. She dropped back down onto the table, more like and listened to Sam as he spoke: "Now. You need to know that you were randomly chosen by the Vok – which is my race. We had two other candidates before you. You will be going on a mission back in time... before humans had even formed. There, you will meet two species of the same descent: The Maximals and the Predacons."

"The who? And what?" she exclaimed, trying to wrap her head around it. All she got was a blank card of confusion written over her face.

"The Maximals and Predacons are descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons respectively. Living robots with thoughts and feelings," Sam tried to explain; only to succeed in confusing her even more. "They are robots that are able to change their form. The Autobots and Decepticons were more exclusively... robotic, in their forms. The Maximals and Predacons, however; are able to transform into animals. They held a war on Earth a millennia before your time. You are going back there to make sure the Maximals win."

Sam lead her into the hallway, towards an unknown location. Caitlin processed the information given to her. _Robots_? Living breathing robots that could think and feel? She was living every scientist's wet dream... and that was a disturbing thought. She frowned, "Why the Maximals? Why not help the Predacons?"

"The Maximals are what you would call then 'good' side," Sam replied. "They have the best interests for life on Earth. The Predacons, however, aim to conquer the galaxy."

"But hasn't this already happened?" Caitlin asked, confused. A migraine was coming on, "Why am I going back in time?"

"We, the Vok, have enemies. They have sent their own human to aid the Predacons," Sam explained. He stopped before a large door that reached higher than Caitlin could see. She looked up at it, agape; and wondered just how big is this god-damned thing? Sam turned to face her, capturing her eye. He looked sincere. "I am sorry that it's you, but it's up to you to aid the Maximals. All life on Earth rests on this mission to succeed."

_'I doubt that,'_ Caitlin thought grimly. '_You should have picked a soldier...'_

"No pressure then," she muttered sarcastically. Her thoughts ran wild within, all pessimistic and broody. They ran over everything Sam told her. She gulped as the doors opened; and Sam lead her inside to Thor (She had decided to call him that. Not only was it, coincidentally, in the first four letters of his name: he looked like the Thunder God). He was the one who had scared her in the medical room...

Once Sam and Caitlin stood below him, Thor placed a glowing hand onto the armrest of his seat. He looked suitably like a demon lord atop his thrown. His dark voice also suited her impression of him being anything but sunshine and puppies... "You have been told what you are required to do?" he asked harshly.

Her reply was instant: "Yes sir!" She added a hesitant, but low, bow. "But if they're machines... What _can_ I do?"

"You have been granted abilities to help you. They will develop as you use them, growing stronger. Two of these gifts would be what you humans call telepathy and telekinesis. Are you familiar with those terms?" he drawled like he thought she didn't.

"I'm familiar with the terms," she glared up at him. He was insulting her while he was explaining them. She could have punched him!

"Those will be among the gifts you will acquire when you are strong enough. The rest will come instinctively, when you need them. However, it is up to you to learn them. When you are ready, some of our agents will teach you." Thor looked bored at this point and spread his arm to the side; gesturing to a tube that opened up at his right. "This device will take you back in time. It will send you to the appropriate moment to meet the Maximals. It will be a painful journey. Time travel is not for the faint of heart. So, you must be absolutely ready."

Strange, it almost seemed as if the purple menace was concerned. "I'm going alone?" she asked, her voice a higher octave than normal as she twined her fingers together nervously. Alone? By herself? One human amongst a group of machines in a war she really shouldn't even be entering? Karma might be at work here, but did she really deserve _this_?

"Yes," Thor replied. For an instant, his gaze seemed to soften, but then it was gone as he added: "However, you might find help from us here and there. We will warn you if the time-frame has been disrupted or if there are things you must change. You will be our solider. Our tool. Our pawn."

Clutching her heart, fear impounded her senses. She gulped and turned to the one creature that seemed to be on her side. "Sam?" she asked tentatively.

"Yes?" Sam asked, turning his gaze onto her. Unlike Thor, his eyes were gentle.

She wrapped her arms over her chest and looked away from him, "Will you wish me luck for me?"

Sam smiled sadly and approached carefully as if she was going to bolt. She probably would have if he'd moved too fast, she thought. Then, he had placed his warm hands on her shoulders, gently. "Good luck Caitlin. You will succeed. Don't worry about it. You'll be fine."

She smiled slowly, "Thank you. Okay," she said more firmly; she steeled her thoughts and turned to Thor, "I'm ready. I've always wanted to go back in time, anyway." Unlike before, her gaze was steady and determined. Thor nodded, as if he approved of this change and gestured for her to enter the device.

Sam kept smiling until Caitlin had turned her back. He frowned. It wasn't right sending her alone. He hadn't liked when he had said she'd been randomly selected. The only reason that she had been chosen: was because she had the ability to adapt to new situations. The loss of loved ones, although it would scar her to her soul: she dealt with it. She was able to deal with pain and loss without sinking into soul-sucking despair. She was observant, and analysed just about everything she saw. Not that she knew it. She had fast reflexes, born from a history of abuse. The Vok had been studying her for a long time...

The adjustments to her DNA had enabled her mind and body to possess abilities beyond human imagination. She would need it where she was going, after all.

Sam sighed. He would never admit it, but he had had taken a liking to the human female. One did not remain unaffected by a person's history, if they too had lived through it. He had watched her bleed time and time again; sometimes crying while often gritting her teeth as she shouldered her burdens. As he returned from his musings, he came to realise there was something standing at his side. He tilted his gaze in that direction. It was a ball of light that had seen many light years run their course many a thousand times over. She kept her eyes on Caitlin as she asked him: "You care for her?"

"I care," he admitted, watching as Caitlin stepped into the machine. "She's quite the creature."

The ball of light chuckled; before taking on a blue-and-green, female form. This time, she wore a green dress; as was her whimsy. She patted him on the shoulder. "Take heart and believe in her. She's a human. Humans' have shown an extreme efficiency to survive... even when we tried to destroy their world at one point." Sam nodded, knowing only a little of that tid-bit of information. He knew, by the end of this: Caitlin might develop a dislike of the Vok and, by default: himself.

The human in question caught his eye as she disappeared into the machine. She heard something speak what was, perhaps, a count-down to zero.

She closed her eyes, preparing for what might happen. She felt, rather than saw, the room begin to move. She felt sick as it went faster and faster; and before she knew it...

She blacked out.

Sam watched as the light within the tube became brighter and brighter; and Caitlin's form was indistinguishable within. He couldn't turn away as the brightness increased, or even when the pulsating beams of their most powerful energy source began to flicker and do its job; and then suddenly... She was gone. Thoraphanasohlkj turned to Sam, and nodded to him. "It was successful. She will have a long road ahead of her. Let us hope that she is able to handle that human sent to the past by our enemies." Without waiting for a reply, the purple globe disappeared into the distance, leaving Sam standing alone.

"Yes" Sam replied blankly as he turned back to the tube where she had disappeared, "Let us hope."


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter 1: 'Is that obvious?'**_

When Caitlin opened her eyes, she flinched in the harsh light that slapped her retinas. She shouted and closed them quickly, feeling her brain scream. She felt as if she'd taken a fall off a mountain taller than Mount Everest. _That_! **_Or_**, she'd been dropped out of a plane from outer space! Groaning, and blinded by the searing rays of the sun; she felt the startling heaviness of her limbs. It was as if they'd all gone numb at the same time. She could already feel the pins and needles beginning to prick at her. _Lovely_! She grimaced as she rolled onto her stomach and gingerly pushed herself up. Opening her eyes, this time slowly, she blinked until they adjusted before moving her hand to shield them. Then, she took in her surroundings...

And cue the deadpan expression of a gob-fish...

It quickly became mercilessly apparent that she hadn't been dreaming that dream she had fiercely hoped was a dream last night.

Her eyes couldn't seem to focus on the sight of a familiar animal found in Africa, if she had any desire to go there.

It was a Zebra.

An honest-to-pride Zebra...

"I WAS HOPING THAT WAS A DREAM!" she screamed to the sky; scaring the Zebra into a full gallop to get away from her. Great, she'd just scared off the local wildlife... what next? "Did I do something despicably horrible in a past life?" she asked the sky, but she received no answer... but a gust of wind with dust, did get her in the eye...

"... I hate my life," she declared to the world.

After allowing herself a few moments of moping: she realised she still had on those clothes the Vok had given her. Her backpack and satchel held all of her stuff: along with another bag she must have gotten from those bright balls of gas and light. She opened it up... and blinked down at what was there. She had a sudden scene from Harry Potter jump out at her; when the real Mad Eye Moody was found in that chest. She chuckled to herself, shoving in her backpack and satchel. She held it against her backpack... because apparently the Vok didn't know what straps were... then: just as she'd thought that: two appeared over her shoulders.

_'Well, score one for the Vok,'_ she mused. It felt as if it weighed nothing but a few small blankets. Thank Fate for small mercies!

She rolled her shoulders and tilted her head back towards the sky. The heat slapped her hard on the face and she winced. She needed to get out of the bloody heat. And the out of the open because, who knew what could pop up. And maybe she'd be an easy appetiser for some predator that may be lurking around. Yes, she'd watched David Attenborough documentaries! Added to her knowledge of her own fragility, she also had a vivid imagination. Some might call it a sub-class of paranoia...

Shaking off her fears as best she could, she dusted herself off and looked around. Peering into the distance, she spotted a herd of zebra, but behind them was a river. She'd need water and she needed to get off this plain. Somehow, she didn't think she could scare off any animals with her five-foot-five-and-a-bit height, which in hindsight: wasn't all that impressive. When one thinks of a lion, one trembles while admiring how beautiful and dangerous the sleek cat was.

This was the wild and she was a human being who'd never needed anything other than a hunt for a bookstore with a decent price. Hence, she didn't have much of an upper-hand here.

Well, at least not until she figured out how to use those "unique abilities" the Vok had given her. She had to scoff at that. It was sort of ironic. Humans were in fact, a science experiment by a bunch of glowing balls of lights; that appeared to have little to no interest other than the extension of the experiment. Actually, she thought: that might explain why humans didn't have much interference from "the God's that be." Funny, she kind of felt disappointed there'd be no afterlife. Though, she could always found out in the end. After all, life was a strange, strange world. The unexpected was to be expected.

Tightening the straps so the bag didn't swim, she concentrated on her destination. If she wanted to survive the wilderness, she'd need a decent water supply and a food source that was easily accessible. She still had those cans in her backpack, but she'd rather hold onto them for as long as she could. It was simple really. So, why did she feel as if she was doomed?

Oh well, walking would take her minds off of things...

Particularly any thoughts related to her doom.

* * *

In his private base (or as private as the spider could get), Tarantulas considered his monitor. It was showing him some... rather strange, but interesting, readings. They were similar to that of a transwarp signature. But, it was undeniably different and alien: and that was impossible. It had showed up right in the middle of the atmosphere, a few feet off the surface of this Matrix-damned planet. No one else could have known where Megatron had been headed. And only those forsaken Maximals (namely that irritating rodent) had been able to log onto their ship's transwarp signature. However, these readings were different to any Predacon or Maximal code...

He would have to check it out... once he was able to get away from his duties, of course.

The signal, interestingly: had a similar reading to the new addition of the Predacons...

* * *

Caitlin spent the entire damned-to-hell morning—and lunch—walking to that source of water; and she _still_ hadn't gotten any closer to finding food or a safe access to the water. After witnessing a few animals get taken in by crocodiles... let's just say she'd rather avoid getting eaten. It would kind of put a damper on her attempts to survive. And when she meant food: she meant some sort of fruit. She didn't think she could kill anything here for meat (asides from the lack of know-how), but perhaps she could try fishing: if she was _lucky_. All evidence pointed to the fact that she was running low on such a thing.

Sighing, she dropped herself on a rock a respectable distance from the water, but not near the other animals. Watering hole equals hunting ground. Great, she'd just signed her death warrant, but she was too tired to move. Hopefully, any predators around would go for the thirsty zebras. Making herself comfortable, she grimaced when a rock stabbed her in the butt. "OW!" shifting her hips to the side, she looked down at the offending object: and found herself staring at a strange crystal. It was pretty, despite the pinkish-purple colour: like one of those crystals you found on Crash Bandicoot. Intrigued, she lifted herself up and sat on another rock. Nudging it with the tip of her boot, it seemed to hum at the touch.

Humming herself, she leant over her legs for a closer look. Slowly, she ran a fingertip over its remarkably smooth surface. She'd never seen anything like it.

Taking a closer look, it seemed to be stuck in the rock... or merged with it.

Getting up, she looked around for a heavy rock. Finding one, she lifted it up and brought it over her head. A flicker of uncertainty flashed. What if some flashy-like explosion that could potentially disable her happened? It kind of sounded far-fetched, but so did alien abduction... Deciding to act on impulse, she tossed the rock aside and hunted for a bigger rock. Locating one, she hoisted it with a "Damn this thing is heavy!" and moved a distance away from the crystal. She held the rock like she was about to do Shot-put, aimed: then threw it with all her might. A heart beat and... The rock slammed against the crystal! Instantly, a tremor ran through the ground, almost unbalancing her. She had to turn her eyes away and duck behind a bounder as the crystal glowed white... then exploded!

_'I should start listen to my impulses more,'_ she thought amusedly. _'Damn that was lucky!'_

Once the tremors had stopped... and the dust began to settle: Caitlin shook her head to clear away the birds. "I'm never doing that again," she groaned and looked up from behind her boulder. Seeing the destruction before her, her jaw dropped. She probably looked like a comical rendition of a gob-fish, but that chip at her dignity was understandable. She'd just learned a valuable lesson. _Don't! EVER!_ Mess with the pretty crystals... even if they looked like they'd be cool to wear on a necklace. Speaking of which, her eye caught a flash of colour. Looking down, she noticed a shattered piece of the crystal, lying at the end of her feet. After a moment of just staring at it, she picked herself up and carefully grabbed it.

Thinking, _'What the heck, I'm screwed either way_', she rummaged through her bag until she came upon a spare shoe-lace. She looped it through a convenient hole that had already been burnt through it. How convenient…. She tied it around her neck, where it sat nestled against her chest beside another pendant: a velcioraptor and a dragon. She rather liked those creatures, almost as much as dragons. It had taken a while for her to make it herself. However, she was proud of her little creation and thankful that it survived the trip. It was silver (stainless steel) in colour, tied to a black leather strap which she had yet to take off since the time she put it on.

It was a small hobby of hers to create things-jewellery things. She even had a hawk-wolf-tiger-snake bracelet. It was stainless steel, tied in such a way that it would be a bitch to take off. Creative jewellery was one of the things that she was good at, besides poetry and well.., being herself.

* * *

Tarantulas followed his scanners.

He was investigating the strange commodity that had sprung up on his computer. It had taken him while to pin-point the exact location it originated from, because whatever it was – was on the move. However, what he had found was a small crater. The crater itself wasn't what the arachnid was interested in. No, what interested him was the thing that had made it and where it had come from. The energy signature of the thing was moving, and showed no signs of an injury. Which meant this thing was able to survive a drop from a thirteen story building. Which, if Tarantulas thought correctly: wasn't normal. Especially since there was no sign of any stasis pods, which mean that whatever had landed here was not of any Predacon or Maximal origins.

"This is very similar to that human male who was sent here to aid the Predacons," he muttered to himself.

Scanning around, he noticed strange tracks that were still there. They headed towards a river. As he focused his scans on that area-BOOM! The earth shuddered beneath him, a stray beam of light fired into the air – similar to that of an Energon crystal exploding. After the residue had faded, he scurried along to find out whatever that was. Who knows? It might just be what had made the crater.

"Vincent!" Tarantulas sneered through his communicator. "Your opposition has appeared to have arrived."

"About time," a voice replied, its tone mocking. Then, it asked, in curiosity: "I wonder who've they've chosen..."

* * *

Having heard the explosion as well, Optimus looked up in its direction. A frown formed on his gorilla visage. The rest of the crew turned their heads towards it as well. Dinobot, in particular, was already hopping on both feet in his velcioraptor form, eager for a fight. (Not that he'd ever admit he was hopping like a sparkling, however. The person who even _hinted_ at such a thing would have been blasted by his laser beams in a nano-click!) It had been unnervingly quiet on the battle front lately: and the Predacon-turned-Maximal had been getting angsty. Well, more angsty than normal if Optimus had to be honest about it.

Cheetor leapt up to a boulder, his green eyes locked on the explosion's co-ordinates. "Jumping gyros! What was that?!" he exclaimed, his tail twitching back and forth in excitement.

"An explosion… as you with no doubt, have obviously deducted, furball!" Dinobot sneered, head tilted forward in his ready-to-run-headlong-into-battle stance.

Optimus wondered if he knew that he was doing it, but considered he might as well not ask.

"Wonder what those Preds are doin'," Rattrap wondered out loud, sniffing at the air.

"Let's go and find out," Optimus replied. He turned to Rhinox, "Stay at the base, just in case this is a trap."

"Be careful," Rhinox advised and returned to the Axalon.

The ape turned to others, "Let's go!" he ordered, but Dinobot, Cheetor and Rattrap had already run off. He sighed. "Optimus Primal… MAXIMISE! Prime jets on!"

Let's see them keep up with _him_ for a change…

* * *

Tarantulas was the first mech on the scene. He stood in his purple-spider from, staring down at what was similar to the human at his own base, but undeniably different. This human was female. She smelt different as well. It was not a scent he could ascertain, but it was pleasant to his senses. His stomach growled, attesting to what he could smell. He crouched low against the rock he leant against, settling down just to watch her. As his scanners took in her form: he noticed she was making a necklace from the crystal-fragment that… strangely… still had some power within it. Usually, if a crystal exploded it left it blank and unusable.

The girl wasn't a fully grown human, perhaps still what humans called a 'teenager'. But, in saying that, she wasn't that young either. She wore dark clothing despite the heat. The human at his base also wore black as well. The arachnid wondered if perhaps this was a common thing. Did that make her another human-Predacon? Suddenly, the girl stood to her feet, smoothing out her clothes and patting off the dust. She tucked a few stray strands of hair that had fallen out of place and turned around, stretching and showed her bright, hazel-green eyes.

Tarantulas paused as he was about to grab his gun; when those eyes caught his suddenly.

The both froze…

Caitlin had finished making the necklace. She'd slipped it on, when she'd felt like she was being watched. She turned around: and saw the largest spider she'd ever seen.

Blink.

Blink.

"_AGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"_

The—whatever it was—spoke: "Tarantulas TERRORISE!" it cackled. She could only watch, mouth agape as its body flung back and turned into… a robot with gold shining feet, which lead to a purple chest, and a very strange head. It was like a helmet with a rectangular screen for eyes. It shimmied out a gun and Caitlin got the feeling this thing wasn't exactly friendly… and most probably didn't like getting yelled at.

Stifling her screams, she stepped backwards to the top of the ledge of the boulders. She stared wide-eyed at the living embodiment of impossibility in front of her (but, perhaps, she noted wryly: it was more believable then those balls of light that could change shape and speak. Not to mention they were the creators of life on Earth. How, she didn't know… but her thoughts were getting away from here.) She focused her attention on the… well, it was obviously a robot. It had that robot-look (not that she had any experiences with robots apart from the sci-movies with robots in them, but she preferred horror/thriller, really). He also had what looked like… spider legs? On his arms?

Weird… But, there was just one question left. Was it a Predacon or a Maximal…?

"Who… are you?" the spider-bot asked, his voice belonging to the horrors of her nightmares. Caitlin immediately tensed. A suddenly feeling of flight crept up on her. Instinctively reacting to something that startled her, she turned around and leapt of the edge into the dip below—and bolted! "GET BACK HERE!" she heard him screech out behind her.

It sounded like he was running after her, but she continued pelting the ground, not wishing to look. She didn't realise that was going faster than humanely possible: until she tried to stop before she came to the river. The result? She found herself skidding into the water like a pebble: and staring into the eyes of a crocodile. It might have been surprised because, luckily: it didn't start attacking her. Its eyes seemed to widen. She felt its snout against her ribcage. She gasped. Water entered her lungs. Half of her shock was contributed to the fact she'd survived such a close encounter without getting bitten.

Then, as if suddenly realising she was under water: she pelted for the surface, broke through it, and hacked up volumes of water. She marvelled at the insanity of having survived close-contact with a crocodile, once again. Shaking her head, she quickly swam for shore: thanking her mother that she'd conned her into getting lessons.

Then, suddenly, she heard—"What is _THAT_?!"

The voice caused her to stop swimming and stare up a cheetah with glowing green eyes.

"I think it's a human," a strange, humanoid-like flying robot said, dropping to the ground: shifting into a gorilla.

Caitlin coughed again, but froze. A tingle shot straight up her spine. Slowly, she turned around saw the crocodile had recovered: it was making its way towards her. A lethal arrow: crooked-edged, many sharp teeth honing on her trajectory. "Fuck. Me," she summarised her situation accurately. She took in a deep breath and dropped underneath the surface. She swam to the bottom and saw she was only a few metres from shallow water.

Question was: would she reach land before the croc caught her?

There was only one way to find out.

She reached the bottom, kicked off: narrowly dodging the croc by a mere hair's breadth: and sped through the water.

When she finally reached the surface and once her feet found purchase: she started running.

"What's the rush for?" a large, grey rat asked. He had his '_hands_' on his '_hips_'. If he was trying to be threatening; she'd seen scarier rabbits.

She sent him a scathing glare. "Why don't you go under the water, and ask the crocodile?" If she had fangs, she marvelled she might hiss at him. She noticed the crocodile speeding towards her. She quickened up, feeling the water reach her ankles now: and skidded through the mud before finding herself on dry land. She didn't stop there, however: and ran until she found grass before finally stopping—face-first into a dirt-patch. She gasped, coughed up dirt and said: "Thank the balls of light! I'm... **alive**!"

"Who are you?" the gorilla asked after she'd calmed down. He and his crew were standing to the side, sending her suspicious looks.

Caitlin looked up at him from behind stray stands of hair. "I think I could ask _you_ the same question," she scoffed and pushed herself up from the ground. She brushed off the grass and folded her arms over her chest. However, just as she was about to say something else: something whizzed past her ear. It hit the ground a few feet away; and exploded. It sent her flying back, falling onto her spine with a thud. She gasped for air, the wind having been knocked out of her. Pain kicked at her lungs as she struggled to catch her breath; and looked up from where she'd fallen.

The same spider-bot from before, whose name if she heard correctly, was Tarantulas: stood cackling madly. His stance was in: 'open-fire'. Hearing a snort, Caitlin found a velcioraptor staring down at her. She returned his stare, but hers was more: '_holy fuck!'_ while his basically said: '_apathetic_'. Then, she looked back at Tarantulas, then back at the other guy. She watched as he transformed into a humanoid robot. He had a samurai-helmet-thing for a head; bones of his beast from were wrapped around his legs and chest.

She did what any normal human would do in this sort of situation.

She stared in amazement: mind numb and completely bewildered.

_'__Out of my mind… Back in five minutes… No. Make that an hour…'_

* * *

Dinobot looked down at the… human, as surprising as it were. He hadn't expected a human to be on this forsaken planet, but alas: not many things went as one expected here. Snorting, he looked back at Tarantulas. The one that interested him the most right now. The arachnid had leapt down to get closer, already transformed. Dinobot had his sword at his side, but perhaps he'd only need his fists and laser-beams for this adversary. He scanned the spider closer, waiting for him to make his move. While he'd prefer to take the first punch: the human caused complications. If he hadn't switched side, it wouldn't have mattered. But mattered now, it did.

"Ah… Hello pussycat!" Tarantulas sneered at Cheetor, who shivered.

Something had happened between those two. Exactly what was none of his business; and quite frankly: he didn't give a damn. His tension averted, he noticed the human girl, dressed entirely in black: looked back and forth between Tarantulas and himself. He saw a range of emotions flicker in bright hazel-green eyes. Bewilderment. Worry. Fear. Realisation. Determination. All this happened in a second: she seemed to realise she was in the middle of a potential and most probably likely, violent crossfire. He watched her slowly get to her feet. She swayed slightly at first, still affected by her close shave with death. She remained crouched, eyes flicking from left to right, "This is going to get ugly," he heard.

When the girl spoke, Cheetor remembered she was there, "Hey, girl, are you okay?"

The human gave the young bot a strange look; like she was asking him if was seriously asking that. As Tarantulas approached closer, she bolted to the side and ducked behind a boulder. Dinobot, would later realise that he was impressed (though reluctantly) by her quick reaction. Then again, all primitive creatures had the basic instinct to flee (or fight) when faced with danger. With that thought, he dodged rapid-fire from the accursed arachnid. As the battle began, he juggled between finding the opportunity to destroy Tarantulas; and watching Rattrap make his way towards the human.

Once Caitlin had gotten behind a make-shift shield of boulder, she later realised she had company. Turning her head around, she saw a golden (or bronze) coloured bot beside her. He had a silver-brainy head with what was like a rat-skin on his back. "Name's Rattrap, kid. How'd you get 'ere?" he asked. His voice was heavily accented, like from Brooklyn…

Glaring at the kid comment, she looked over his size. He was a bit taller than her. So, size might not mean anything to robots as compared to humans. Then, she replied with: "_First off_! My name is _Caitlin_. _Not_ _kid_. _Second off_! I don't really _care_ how I got here. But I _do_ care 'bout the fact I'm in the middle of a _bloody battle zone_. And _thirdly_... your breath smells!"

Rattrap blinked, startled from the mini-tirade. He would have expected a whining damsel, but she was anything but. Nodding to herself, she proceeded to ignore him and peaked out from behind the boulder. He knelt beside her. She glanced at him, but continued to watch the battle. She was bewildered by the show of artillery. She'd only seen such things inside what her mother dubbed: "The Idiot Box." From what she was seeing, she'd rather have been watching from the Idiot Box. However, she couldn't help but be amazed by the sheer power of these robots. Tarantulas, especially, was quite the power tool. The arachnid held off almost all of his enemies. Still, that didn't make her want to stay in the middle of the battle. So, she started to analyse it. If they moved more to the right, she figured she could move to a more effective shelter.

Not that she had much experience analysing a battle… She was so _screwed_!

Rattrap noticed a growing contemplative, considering look as she surveyed the battlefield. He couldn't stop the instinctive jump when she, without warning: turned and crawled around him. She kept her head below the boulders. "Where ya goin'?" Rattrap asked, confused as he took a hold of her upper arm to stop her.

Caitlin glared down at the offending hand. Slowly, she turned her annoyed gazed to his confused ones. "Away from the battle," she replied with a silent 'duh' behind it. "In light of my current situation, I'd rather be behind the ones that _aren't_ aiming to potentially harm or kill me. You know, in case Tarantulas there, get's back up." Rattrap blinked, astounded that this girl had a smart idea that he should have had. Or, maybe it was just common sense when faced with a life or death situation. He slowly released her hand followed behind as she weaved between the rocks – all the while staying out of sight.

"Nice girl," he granted under his breath.

He rather liked this girl already. He thought this with all due sarcasm and wry amusement.

By the time Caitlin and the bot with the name: Rattrap, were behind the rest of the Maximals; Tarantulas had figured he might as well make a tactical retreat – to save him a dip in the regeneration pool. Caitlin stood in awkward silence as she watched him disappear. She noticed that the bot that had transformed from a velcioraptor almost ran off after him. The gorilla was the one who turned to face her. "It seems that we're going to have to take you to our base," he said like it was a task. Maybe it was.

With a huff, she retorted: "Nice to know that I'm being treated as a burden." Cocking her brow, she looked around, "How long of a walk is it?"

"Not long," the gorilla replied. He stepped forward, handing out his hand in greeting. A gentle smile split over his face. "My name is Optimus Primal, Leader of the Maximals. I believe you've already met Rattrap." He gestured to the rat that waved his hands. Optimus then gestured to the velcioraptor and the cheetah: "And this is Dinobot and Cheetor."

Caitlin took the hand in a neutral hold and shook firmly. "I'm Caitlin." She allowed a small smile, and then Optimus suggested that they should hurry on. The Predacons could come back at any second. So, between the ape and the dinosaur: Caitlin was lead to the Axalon. It was a crashed ship that was their home base. As they walked, Cheetor told Caitlin about themselves, their history, what they were doing and how they got here and why, what had happened so far, and what life was like back on Cybertron: their home planet.

All Caitlin could think about at Cheetor's random intervals during his monologue was: how this cat could talk so much? She was getting tired by the time they arrived at the Maximals' home. She found the ship, beautiful and a dump. But, that was to be expected when a spaceship crashed down through a planet's atmosphere; only to land on a mountain that was also a waterfall—via a crashlanding course… She was surprised it had managed to stay so… in shape. It would have been a sight in the sky, she believed.

"So, do you have some idea of how you arrived here?" Optimus asked, leading her beneath the ship towards a lift.

"I have a theory or two. It's called alien-abduction and into a device that flung me back in time," she replied truthfully, waving her hand dismissively.

"That sounds a little…"

"Farfetched?" Caitlin suggested as it seemed Optimus was a little lost for words.

"Well… yeah," the ape admitted awkwardly, scratching the back of his gorilla-head.

She simply shrugged, sliding her hands into her pockets as she hopped over a boulder to get closer to the lift. "Yeah well… How-do-ya reckon I feel? To me… you're the strangest thing next to my Guardians admitting that I'm an adult… according to my society, that is."

"How old are you, exactly?" Optimus asked as they got into the lift. It was a tight squeeze between the ape and the cat, but she managed.

"Eighteen."

"And that makes you an adult?"

"More or less… But I was wondering, if it's really okay that I stay with you guys…?"

"Of course it is… You seem lost."

"Is that obvious?" Caitlin sighed, rolling her eyes slightly. But, she stayed polite as she gave a wry smile to the monkey-bot.

* * *

Strange, strange, strange... That was all she could think. It was all that reverberated around her brain. The sense of awkwardness had not lifted, even once she'd met the peaceful rhino called: Rhinox. He had stayed behind, so she hadn't met him before. However, seeing them all now in their robotic forms, she couldn't help but feel small and out of place. Even the smallest Maximal (which was Rattrap), had a few inches over her. Cheetor had even given her a tour, having noticed her awkward nervousness. She'd been subjected to an abuse on her ears as she was told fact upon fact of his life; until she had finally found some excuse to get away from him.

However, that awkwardness had remained. She was never good with telling the time, but thought at least two hours had passed since she had last spoken. She needed to say something. Even the Maximals had remained quiet after Cheetor had finally stopped trying to get her to talk. But now that he wasn't attempting, she kept feeling the need to fill up the silence. So, she blurted the first thing that came to her mind: "I still think this is the strangest thing that has ever happened to me."

As soon as she said it, she winced. Her inner mind self took a mallet and started beating a vision of herself with it. Weak. _Weak_. **Weak**. Is that all she could have said? Why not something smarter? Nothing came to mind, but _anything_ could have been better than that, surely!

"And why is that?" Dinobot asked in a tone that said he was bored and wasn't about to disguise it to be polite.

Cocking a brow at the irate reptile, she shrugged. She'd started it; she might as well continue it. "Next to almost walking in on my parents going at it…" She ignored the mortified sympathy from Cheetor and the sly look from Rattrap… "I've never seen robots apart from movies. And even that is in short supply… I prefer the horror genre, really."

"One would think that, being a girl and all, you'd go for the romance!" Rattrap said, smirking, drawing out the word: romance with a twist.

Caitlin snorted with a roll of her eyes, before she shivered with suppressed disgust casting a glare that could have burnt him to rust. "The act of two people cuddling up together in a show of sharing saliva and germs: while being all over-exaggeratedly mushy and love struck with starry eyes at the same time: doesn't appeal to me as it might _you_, Rattrap. My sister is lucky enough that I haven't _accidentally_ broken any of such material."

"You have a sister?" Cheetor exclaimed.

Caitlin froze minutely, her expressions fading until her face represented a mask. "If you must know, I have two sisters and four brothers. And I'm the oldest." She folded her arms, hoping that it was the end of the conversation. However, it appeared everyone but Cheetor noticed her sudden change in demeanour.

"Wow!" the cat explained again. "What's it like? Is it fun being the oldest?"

Somehow, Caitlin's features closed even further. The silence that followed the cat's questions, struck Cheetor suddenly. He looked into hardened hazel eyes and felt as if he'd said something wrong. Her eyes were twin flames of piercing and not-quite suppressed anger. Whether it was at him, herself or something else entirely, Cheetor didn't know. But the harsh tone in which she growled: "I don't think my personal life is any of your business" – Spoke a great deal of how he'd crossed a line.

Instantly, the cat flinched backwards from the harshness in her voice. The others noted her defensive pose: arms folded tight against her chest, fingernails biting into forearms. She was hunched over slightly, as if trying her best to fold into herself – physically caging a need to lash out with her fists. Cheetor stepped back, his head dropping low and he turned to leave. "I-I'm sorry. I won't ask again."

Caitlin sighed, but her hard expression didn't let up as she watched the cat leave, and didn't say a thing.

Deciding to interrupt the tense atmosphere, Optimus stepped up to the girl, "I believe you must be tired. Rattrap can show you to your room."

"What? Why me?" Rattrap demanded.

"Just do it Rattrap!" Optimus snapped, pointing towards the hallway.

"Fine then!" Rattrap snarled and grabbed Caitlin by the blow and dragged her along. "Come along then Caitlin. I'm sure we have a spare room somewhere in this hunk of metal." Caitlin, for her part, was suddenly too tired to say anything, or object to being manhandled. She was tired and wanted to sleep on a bed. Even if said bed was as hard as the metal she stood on. She wanted a bed. A rock wasn't a comfortable place to lean your neck against if you were tried. Perhaps a metal bed wouldn't be any better, but she did need something. Besides, beggars couldn't be choosers. "Here we are then!" Rattrap exclaimed, opening a door. "Your new home during your stay here."

"Thanks," Caitlin yawned as she stepped through the doorway without opening her eyes. However, once she opened her eyes, she sweat-dropped. She was going to have to start cleaning first thing she woke up. It was obvious that this room had been used as a scrap-metal throw-in."Thanks a lot. _Really_. I really appreciate it. Remind me to return the favour some day."

"Well, goodnight then," Rattrap replied dismissively, walking away without a single glance back.

"Whatever," she yawned again.

Rubbing the side of her face, she woke herself up enough to make room to lie down. When suddenly the door opened and revealed Dinobot, who paused upon noticing her trying to create a make-shift bed for herself. She must have looked a sight, because it was silent for a few minutes, then: "It seems we're going to have to find a new storage shed," Dinobot growled out huffily.

"Sorry that my existence is such an inconvenience," Caitlin muttered.

However, before Dinobot could bite back a retort: she'd already succumbed to sleep. It was plain to see that nothing could be done about it, so Dinobot simply threw the scrap metal into the room, and marched off, huffing away about Maximals and their sentiments.


	3. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2: "Equal Measures"**_

When Caitlin awoke the next morning, she felt a sense of displacement. Then, events from the previous day (days?) sent a barrage of images into her mind. Like a thousand sledgehammers being thrown her way. Groaning, she rubbed at her head and the back of her neck, where it was most sore. She looked about her, realising she'd somehow curled herself between a few computer hard drives and a whole lot of wires. Her head had rested on her backpack, but it wasn't exactly comfy. Gathering her bearings, she headed for the Control Room. She found Optimus already there. She stared at him for a moment, already missing caffeine, and silently approached him. When she was standing over his shoulder, she cleared her throat. She got the amusing reaction of Optimus hitting the ceiling, spinning around; only to fall on the ground on his gorilla-butt.

She chuckled as Optimus recomposed himself, and once he had: he sent her a frown, "You startled me."

Caitlin shrugged, grinning mischievously and replied: "I do that a lot." She stepped next to him, taking a closer look at the screen, and frowned. "I guess you're used to making sense of that… never was good with computers really, at least in regards to certain programs."

Optimus hummed noncommittally and then noticed her haggard demeanour. "What is it?"

Caitlin sighed, rubbing near her eyes. "I need a room. I apparently slept in the spare-parts room. But since I was too tired, I didn't object then. I'm objecting now, however."

Optimus sighed, cursing Rattrap for his laziness. Caitlin simply stood to the side as she waited. Her head tilted curiously as Dinobot entered the room, a frown set in place, Optimus' eyes lit up on him. Then, it was Caitlin's turn to frown. If he was thinking what she thought he was thinking… "Dinobot!" the ape called out, halting Dinobot in his approach to the lift. "Come here a second."

Dinobot gave a show of sighing as he turned around. But, his stride was purposeful and powerful as he approached Optimus. He hardly spared a glance to Caitlin as he came to a stop before them. With a polite nod, he asked gruffly: "What is it that you require?"

"Caitlin is in need of a room. Would she be able to bunk with you?"

Caitlin and Dinobot froze. For a single instant, they glanced at each other before turning to Optimus.

"**_NO_**!" they yelled into his face, forcing the ape to hold his arms up in surrender.

"Good morning, what's up?" Cheetor asked, appearing suddenly from the hallway. There was an annoyingly chirpy smile on his face…

In perfect unison, both Dinobot and Caitlin turned around throw a death glare at the hyperactive feline. With a huff, they turned back to their original positions. Both had their arms folded, faces moulded into an apathetic visage. Though, in Caitlin's gaze, her eyes gleamed slightly with mischief. Optimus and Cheetor stared at the two, when Rattrap came whistling his way into the room. Caitlin's glare turned onto him.

Feeling the glare, Rattrap stopped and smirked, "So, howdya sleep, girly?"

"Better than you did, probably," she replied tonelessly. Then, her eyes narrowed, "Although I didn't appreciate being left carelessly in the spare parts room…" She frowned again and a silent snarl worked its way on her lips as she added: "And _don't_ call me girly!" Rattrap kept his smirk, watching as she turned back to Optimus.

Then, Cheetor spoke up, asking, "You don't have a room?"

She glanced at him, "No." Humming thoughtfully, she appeared to stare at him.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked suddenly, feeling awkward under her intense stare,

She blinked as if coming out of a trance. "It's nothing," she smiled and turned away. "I was just thinking."

Cheetor nodded. Then, his eyes lit up with inspiration. "Hey! Why don't you bunk with me?"

Caitlin cocked an eyebrow at him, and replied: "I don't think so. I don't affiliate myself with chirpy early morning risers." She chuckled at his down-beaten expression. But, it also made her remember last night. She smiled gently and added: "_Unless,_ of course, they leave me to sleep later into the day, without saying '_good morning'_ to me. I _despise_ that greeting in the morning. There's nothing _good_ about mornings… They should be renamed: mourning's, in my opinion."

For a moment, Cheetor stood frozen. But, when understanding hit him, he leapt into the air. He transformed into his robot form and enthusiastically hugged her to his robotic chest-plate. Caitlin froze in his hug, unable to breathe as he spun her around, exclaiming: "YOU'RE BUNKING WITH ME! YOU'RE BUNKING WITH ME! IT'LL BE LIKE THE _COOLEST_ SLEEP OVER PARTY! … **_EVER_**!" And Caitlin began to turn blue as she tried to free herself from his iron grip…

Noticing her predicament, Optimus was quick to help: "Calm down Cheetor! And let the poor girl go… She can't breathe!" he exclaimed urgently.

Cheetor instantly dropped Caitlin to the floor. Embarrassed, he watched as she sucked in deep gulps of sweet, sweet oxygen. Once she had recovered, she peered up at him, "_This_ is why I don't like chirpy people at the best of times… They're dangerous!" Cheetor could only chuckle nervously, apologising gingerly. Getting to her feet, she told him, "Just don't make a habit of it, please! I don't think I'd be able to handle that on a daily basis!"

"Then it's settled," Optimus said. "Caitlin is bunking with Cheetor."

For some reason, Caitlin suddenly felt a premonition of danger. Somehow, she knew she was going to regret this… but..,

… Those _damn_ **_EYES_**!

* * *

It wasn't long before a sense of routine for Caitlin was set up. And it wasn't longer before she began to feel more comfortable around the mechs-the Maximals. Well, what could she say? She'd been with them for about a month. In an average of 28 days, one could get to know another just fine. Though, in her case: she was more of a lone wolf than a social worker bee. She'd come to know the Maximals as much as one could in 28 days.

Cheetor was the young teen of the group. He was still young, eager and enthusiastic to prove himself. And it was not just those reasons he'd become dear to her.

Rhinox was peaceful, preferring to take a walk amongst the flowers than go to war. However, as it was: he rarely got the chance. He _was_ the technician after all. But, he was stern.

Optimus was, she had learned was a leader untested in battle. However, it appeared he was doing well. He was fair, cunning and a great deal of curiosity for the world around him.

Rattrap was a rat. Annoying, but loyal and a sarcastic sense of humour she'd come to enjoy.

As for Dinobot? Well, there wasn't much to say other than he had an obsession with battle. She also thought he was a lot smarter than he looked or showed.

Yawning, she stretched and leant back. She heard a satisfying crack and rolled her shoulders.

Distracted from her musings, she looked at the others. Rhinox, at the moment: was setting some probe-like posts that, if she understood right: would give the Maximals some important information. What that information was…. Hell if she knew. She wasn't a techno-geek. In fact, she would tip her hat to those who understood all the jargon. And give them a cookie. If they were allergic to its ingredients, she'd send them a picture of one. Or maybe a LOL-Cat… And if they hated LOL Cats… well. She was fresh outta ideas… Maybe a canary?

She had refused to do anything to help them; stating that if she helped, she'd only destroy whatever they had done before hand. '_Opps'_ and '_It was an accident_' were two of her middle names. She did add, however, if they needed anything else that didn't require her doing whatever it was they were doing: she'd do it. As a result, she'd been told to watch the monitors for Predacon activity. So far, she was trying her hand at Cybertronian solitaire. The game was basically the same, except more interactive.

A resounding boom shook the foundations of the Axalon. She sighed for the twentieth time. The storm outside was becoming more violent. It was like nothing she'd faced before. Even with that storm that had started this whole thing… Shaking herself out of that train of thought, she turned to look at the others, watching their movements and interactions. That, she had learned: was more often than not: incredibly entertaining…

"Uh, that does it!" Rhinox suddenly groaned. He stood to his feet as the probe-things shrunk into little thick disks. She blinked at that, surprised, but reclined her chair against the wall. The chairs didn't have any backs. And lucky for her, she'd found that out when no else had seen. It had been about 20 days ago, when she hadn't been able to get to sleep. It had been at an hour when even nocturnal creatures were asleep… And the heart-attack from falling down, hadn't helped her attempts to get to sleep either… Then, she heard Rhinox talking, "Survey posts are ready for duty. Hmm, any word from Optimus?" Rhinox asked Rattrap, who, likewise: was at the screen near the communications console.

"Nah, not a flicker," the rat replied, waving his hands. He looked at his buddy from over his shoulder, "The storm is trashing the comlinks worse than usual, an' that's bad enough."

Dinobot placed what Rattrap had explained to her was a bomb on a bench. He didn't look too pleased by Rattrap's evaluation. But then, anything short of battle displeased the velcioraptor. "This mission is too critical to be interrupted by a minor variation of weather!"

Being comfortable around them (and very, very bored), made it easier to speak her mind; and so: she looked up from her game. "The mission being a critical is a conceded conclusion. The weather being a minor variation however, is up for debate, I think… I have nice experiences with storms," She added with feeling. "They can go from seemingly harmless to uprooting fully-grown, deep-rooted trees from the roots: and sending cars floating along flash-floods you never even saw coming… til it was too late." She pinned the raptor with a meaningful look, "Don't underestimate the elements…. They take it as a challenge."

Dinobot simply glared at her, huffed to himself and looked around. He threw his hands up in aggravation, "Argh! Who took the syncrolaser?!"

Cheetor turned around, the aforementioned object in his hand. "Allow me," he said and approached him.

Caitlin winced. Over her days in the Axalon, she'd come to realise that Cheetor kept trying to get on good terms with Dinobot. From her point of view, however, it was obvious that the raptor didn't even _want_ to be on good terms with the kid. She flinched when Cheetor did something to the bomb; which sent it flying towards the ground. Dinobot was quick to growl and grab the feline by his throat. "You hyper little—"

Rattrap's panicked words of: "The bomb! …Watch out!" was the only thing that saved Cheetor's hide…

Caitlin had already seen a familiar voice in the screen; and so she was not worried. She simply reclined backwards and smirked when Optimus appeared from the light. He had the bomb in his hand, throwing it up and down, one arm on his hip. "Some sort of trouble?" the ape asked with a cock of his eyebrow.

"Just the usual!" Caitlin replied from her corner as Dinobot dropped Cheetor to the floor as they glanced at each other.

"Hey Big-Bot! Cheetor said, pushing Dinobot to the side with his arm as he walked past. Dinobot growled at the touching. "We're just locking down the big ba-bang here. One last adjustment and… _There_! We're set to blast that Predacon base back into orbit… As space debris!"

Caitlin scoffed to herself. If she knew sensible people, which she did (she'd practically grown up with a hundred of them. Each and every one of them reminding her why she should or should not do something.) And it was for this reason, she betted Optimus would probably launch the 'mission' when the storm had passed. Paranoid he was, but perhaps wise in such paranoia. She was caught in her thoughts as Cheetor seemingly lost control of the bomb, but was brought back to awareness as he managed to turn it off with no damage. "Put it to bed!" Optimus said firmly, "We're stalled."

The reactions were instant:

"What?" Dinobot exclaimed.

"You kiddin?" Rattrap exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?" Rhinox asked, more calmly then the others.

"Try, _the weather!_" Caitlin spoke up, turning back to her game of solitaire, although no one noticed her. Typical!

"Hey, it's just a cross quasar circuit, I can fix it!" Cheetor said.

"That storm will hit us within the hour," Optimus replied, affirming Caitlin's suspicions.

_'HA! See?! Score one for female human! Mech Maximals: a big, fat zero!'_

"An _hour_?" Cheetor repeated as if it was nothing. "Not a problem, fellow beast. I can outrun anything the skies can dish!"

"…And still run head-long into danger to become barbecued," Caitlin muttered under her breath. Somewhere along the way, she realised that she wasn't being listened to. So, she decided to take advantage of it. Annoyed, she growled out, "I wonder if I mentioned if I was Tarantulas' fuck buddy? Would that get me attention? Then again… Speak the devil's name and who'll answer? I better not jinx things. Though, even saying that… Hell's gonna explode up here anyways… Fuck this shit… I want some chocolate! Wait!" she hissed, her widening: "I don't have any chocolate. My life… is officially… over. Or at least, severely ruined for now…"

She looked back up at the conversation, glared and then returned to her own conversation in her own world. They knew her there, anyways…

"Sorry Cheetor, it's too risky," Optimus replied, sternly. "The placement of those survey posts must be thoroughly calculated to avoid contact with any underground Energon deposits."

"I'm not just some wimpy cub, you know," Cheetor replied tersely. "I can do this! Try having a little faith in me for once."

"As much as you prefer to think so Cheetor," Optimus replied, "This_ isn't_ about you."

Caitlin sighed as Cheetor glared, threw the bomb at Dinobot and stormed away. He, apparently, was very annoyed. She watched him as he walked off, wanting to talk to him, but she was still uncertain about their… friendship. So, she sighed again and looked at the others. She watched Dinobot's eyes… optics, they called them, she noted distantly… flare in indignant anger, "And does it matter if we blow some Energon? Maybe it'll take a few Predacons with it. That _is_ what we want, is it _not_?" he asked, taking prowling steps towards Optimus.

"This mission, Dinobot, is about gaining tactical advantage by taking out their base," Optimus replied in a tone he reserved for Dinobot when explain the Maximal way of doing things (which he did often). "_Defeating_ them, does not mean we have to _annihilate_ them. You seem to have trouble understanding that."

"What I understand is this: if situations were reversed, Megatron would spare the base, and annihilate _us_!" Dinobot retorted with a snarl.

_'Just another marvellous and loving day at the Maximal base,_' Caitlin thought wryly to herself. She glared at the cards that were shown to her and promptly ended the game to start a new one. She refused to let a computer beat her! She paused… _Wait_! Wasn't she surrounded by computers? Walking, talking, feeling…? Argh! _Now_ she was getting a headache!

"This eagerness of yours to scrap Megatron is clouding your judgement!"

"We are at war, Optimus, war. I think that it is your judgement that is clouded!" Dinobot snarled, hardly raising his voice as he slammed the bomb into Optimus' chest. With a look that said: "I fart in your general direction', he transformed and walked into the hall. At his exit, Caitlin entertained the thought that she could have touched the tension in the air… but only with a chainsaw…

Then, Rattrap spoke up, "Optimus… They're harmless little scanning relays. All they're supposed to do is to detect Pred energy signatures. Right, Rhinox?"

Rhinox shook his head, picking up one of the relays, "I'm with Optimus on this one. Energon is an untested variable. We gotta be careful," he added, placing it down, gently.

Caitlin sighed once again and swiftly returned to her game. No input from her would help anything. They hadn't even heard her talk to herself. So, why should she bother?

* * *

About 30 mind-numbing minutes later, Caitlin turned around to see Cheetor taking the relay posts. Apparently, he hadn't seen her. Silently, she swivelled in her chair, stood up and approached her. With her arms crossed over her chest, she asked: "And just _where…_ do you think you're going?!" She tapped her foot against the metal flooring, cocking an eyebrow at him.

"Um… I…" he stuttered… when Dinobot suddenly appeared and grabbed her by the arm…

"I need to speak with you," was all the raptor said and pulled her along.

'_Wha_-' was all she could think, unable to verbalise anything. She only caught a glimpse as Cheetor took the lift before she couldn't see. Dinobot's destination finally became clear when the raptor pushed her into his room. Alert alarms blaring inside her head. "What the fuck do ya think you're doing?!" she hissed once Dinobot released her. Instantly, she whirled around to face him. Her eyes blazing, she stood half-awkward, half-infuriated before him and pointed an accusing finger. "Don't tell me you got into Cheetor's head to take those relay posts out during the storm?"

Dinobot blinked in surprise and folded his arms over his chest. The surprise faded to a look of anger as he crossed the distance between them. He towered over her as he told her: "Keep that information to yourself, human!"

_'Holy shit? I actually guessed right?'_ Caitlin cocked her eyebrow, appearing undaunted by his intimidation. "Or… _what_?"

Dinobot growled in return, but could not come up with a threat for her to keep quiet. Because he kept his distance from the human, Caitlin's characteristic habits were unknown to him. He knew the ins and outs of the Maximals. He knew other Maximal's weaknesses, but hers. She'd kept her personal life under a lock and key that were unbreakable, it appeared. Even the rat had tried to infiltrate her defences, but she always managed to keep it all private. So, this human was the only one he could not, in full confidence, con into doing anything for him: unintentionally or not. He'd come to learn she knew when she was being manipulated…

Caitlin unfolded her arms. A heartbeat past and she sighed. Shaking her head, she muttered something he didn't pick up. Then, she rolled her eyes and pinned him with a look, "I guess I'll keep quiet… as long as you _never_ do that again! If anything else, the base will be quiet for a while, _but_!" She warned when Dinobot was about to smirk, "If Cheetor dies on this mission… I _will_ make your life on the Axalon a living hell. You and Rattrap _will_ have every other mission together, if _I_ have anything to say about it." Then she smirked. It was a little bit evil, a little bit ruthless and every bit mischievous and cunning: "Did you know that Optimus taught me how to make a roster for you all?" she couldn't help but add that last part, knowing full well that the raptor and the rat despised each other's existence. Though, she couldn't help but think that, if neither had the other: they'd get mightily bored.

Dinobot growled at her, but accepted the terms that he had been given.

She turned on her heel and walked off without a single glance back, leaving Dinobot to ponder on the perplexity before him that was Caitlin. - And wonder why in the Inferno he was even pondering her existence. Him: Predacon. Her: Human. That equated their '_relationship_' - for lack of a better description.

* * *

Caitlin was in her shared room with Cheetor. Boredom had already set in. She had even drifted off into sleep for a while, before she'd woken up: still bored. Sighing, she stood to her feet. She might as well do something, she decided. Maybe… find something to clean the base with. Even with the regulated air-conditioning… there was still some dust around. She cringed at the thought of domestic house-hold cleaning. She couldn't think of a worse routine to fall into, especially, for a ship full of males. She did NOT want to think like a maid… But, boredom did do weird things to someone. And the dust was making her sneeze at irregular, annoying moments. So, she supposed it was a self-beneficial task. But, her boredom could do with something more… intellectually challenging and engaging…

Set on her course, she nodded to herself and headed for the hallway. However, interestingly enough: she saw Dinobot and the red pterodactyl she'd been told was Terrorsaur: in the Control Room. _'How in the hell did you get in here?'_ was all she could think as Dinobot was sneering: "Welcome to enemy arms, my former comrade. I hope you'll _enjoy_ your stay… Dinobot, MAXIMISE!"

Quickly, she ducked out of sight and stayed that way. Her eyebrows drew together thoughtfully as they conversed. Apparently the relay survey posts had formed a connection… and a portal-like link with the two consoles of the Axalon and the Dark Syde. Then, Terrorsaur said: "We can turn a truce… into an alliance!"

After hearing that, she had to practically pick up her bottom jaw from the floor. However, when she glanced around the corner to call him out, she noticed a plotting, almost mischievous look on the raptor's face. Having been around the raptor, she had learnt he was not one to switch sides so casually. There was a lot of thinking involved. She figured he was probably playing along until he got what he wanted from Terrorsaur. And, once he had that: Terrorsaur would probably be quickly disposed of. So, she hurried down the hallway as they spoke with each other. She hid inside a storage room and waited until the two of them passed by her. When she was sure they'd gone, she crept out and kept some distance between them. Then, she saw Dinobot shove Terrorsaur into the emergency escape pods. Even went so far as to shove him in with his foot…

"… What are you doing? We're partners!" she heard Terrorsaur screech.

_'Man that bird can screech! Was he kicked a lot in the balls early in life? Wait… do robots even have balls? Hold on… too much thought…'_

"In case you had not yet realised, _needle-nose_… I am _not_ a team player," Dinobot smirked; and pulled the lever that set Terrorsaur launching through the air. The raptor was clearly pleased with himself as he stalked off… before bumping into Optimus. Caitlin left her spot and headed back to her and Cheetor's room, but not before Dinobot saw her out of the corner of his eyes. She noticed his gaze, and cocked a brow at him before she disappeared behind the corner. Dinobot was clearly more than met the eye… and a lot more cunning than he was given credit for. It was… _interesting_, to say the least—how well he could play others into doing something for him, and yet never letting the other realise that he was being played.

* * *

Later, Caitlin returned to the Control Room when she heard tell that Cheetor was back. Apparently, he'd saved them from destroying both bases, since the same Energon vein ran under both bases. So, the little cat was a hero today, she laughed inwardly. She passed Dinobot on the way. Both paused upon noticing the other. Dinobot didn't say anything, so Caitlin continued down the hall. He turned his head to watch, and was surprised to realise that she hardly made any sound as she moved on the metal flooring: the noise was dull and hardly there. Easily dismissed. His optics narrowed at the thought…

When Caitlin came upon Cheetor, she congratulated him with a smile. However, once they were in his room, she hit him over the head with her fist. She ignored the dull pain and poked the stupid idiotic cat in the forehead after she'd jumped atop the bed. "IDIOT!" She hissed. "_Next time_ you feel like being rebellious, _warn me!_ And I'll tie you by the tail to the bed! If you _ever_ scare me like that again, I will _personally_ rearrange your spots!"

The feline blinked under the onslaught wordlessly and bewildered. He hadn't expected the girl to care so much. He watched as she calmed down from her mini-tirade; and then he knew. He smiled, reassured at the realisation that she'd actually been worried about him. So, he smiled approached and gave her hug, saying: "I promise."

Caitlin simply snorted in reply and walked out of the room, saying she wanted some air since the storm was over. But, unnoticed by Cheetor, she smiled with fondness. Cheetor had become another little brother to her. Her older-sister protective instincts kicked in when he was in danger. Woe be the one who harmed her brother. They would consider the Devil a kinder foe.

* * *

While Caitlin was on her walk, she kept close to the Axalon. She didn't want to get lost, kidnapped, killed by a lion and eaten… and whatever else could happen without help too far away. Huffing to herself, she came across Dinobot. He was on the lookout for Predacons, as usual. Shrugging to herself, she figured that she might as well accompany him. Out of everyone in the Axalon, Dinobot spoke mainly to Optimus. So, she approached him, careful to make noise. She had to hop over a few boulders before she came to a stop next him. Dinobot stared over at her, but returned to the horizon. The sun was setting; the mix of dusk-red and orange and golden-yellow merged in the sky. Dinobot leant against a large boulder, glancing only in her direction when she climbed another boulder to sit on it. She leant an elbow on one of her knees as she watched the sight before her. It was beautiful.

Then, she decided to say something, and: "Risky," was all she said, without turning to look at him.

Dinobot seemed to know what she was talking about because he answered her with a growl: "Necessary." He figured she'd heard what had gone on between him and Terrorsaur in regards to his short 'visit' in the Axalon. He was only surprised that Caitlin hadn't ratted him out. In fact, he was standing out here musing over that…

"Perhaps…" she allowed, this time turning catch his gaze. Her hazel orbs were demanding, firm and unflinching; something that surprised him. She held a finger up as her eyebrow cocked, and added challengingly, "_But_, let's not forget that you could've destroyed both bases with you little mind-play plan…"

"You heard what went on between Terrorsaur and me." It was a statement, not a question. So, she had heard the conversation… As he had thought.

"Indeed," she replied carelessly and turned fully to face him. She folded her legs beneath her, resting her head against her arm and peered at him from beneath her eyelashes. Her next words were full of amusement, which was strange, considering she should have been yelling and pointing at him. "Rather cunning… and I suppose there's no love lost between the two of you? I kind of got that impression…"

"Next to Megatron, Terrorsaur is the one other hostile I wish to annihilate!" Dinobot snarled as he turned to face her.

"Interesting," she mused wryly. She folded her arms over her chest, a shrewd glimmer in her eyes as she turned back to the sunset.

"Was there something you wanted?" Dinobot asked after a few moments.

He glanced over at her, uncomprehending that she simply wanted to join his company and watch the scenery with him. After all, what else could he expect? He was a Maximal-turned-Predacon. He was not the sentimental type. And he was definitely no hero. And from what he'd come to learn of Caitlin during her month with the Maximals: she was very protective of others, especially in regards to Cheetor. Dinobot, however, protected himself only… or his teammates when given a direct order by Optimus—and even that was grudging.

Caitlin hummed and turned to face him, her eyebrow cocking. Then, those orbs flicked to the corner of her eyes as they lip up with an idea. "I suppose there is," she replied and slowly turned to her head to face him; as if she was gauging his reaction. Dinobot idly noted she did that a lot too. She always gauged reactions and interactions… learning, observing.

Folding his arms over his chest, he narrowed his eyes on her. "And what… would that be?"

She took a breath. "Would you consider teaching me how to defend myself… in the potential possibility that I am captured by the enemy?" she asked. She frowned to herself, stood and pinned him with a stare honed entirely on him. "And, if possible… Could you also tell me about the Predacons' and their individual quirks and such?" she added, and then stepped back, waiting for his response patiently… but tensed. She did not know what his answer could be…

* * *

There was silence as Dinobot's eyes widened in surprise. He almost considered asking her to repeat her request: he didn't think he'd heard her right. But, she had. Quickly, he covered his reaction so she wouldn't know he'd been caught off guard. But, he was disappointed to find a slight smirk flitter over her face. Then, she turned to face the sunset again. From side on, he noted that her eyes were a touch greener in the golden glow. Admittedly, he was surprised she'd asked _him_ to teach her how to fight—well defend—herself. Although, he supposed, from his observations that she: thought over all possibilities no matter how pessimistic they may be. She might not be top-gear of the physical education; she no doubt realised that she was a distinct disadvantage. She had no delusions of superiority, but she did not have an inferiority complex. She knew that there may come a day when she wouldn't be able to run, duck and cover as she ran back to the base… or receive fellow Maximal protection from the Predacons.

Dinobot also realised that she knew she'd be used as bait or a bargaining ship, should she be captured. As a human, fragile as she was: she could be killed as easily as crushing an insect between two fingers. A thing about life: no one wanted to die. Dying with honour was his secret life-long obsession (and only in the darkest corners of his mind, he would admit it was his greatest dream). Though, he doubted the human girl shared the same sentiment. So, now he only had to ponder the pros and cons of teaching Caitlin how to defend herself.

…And he found the pros far outweighed the cons. Yeah… it surprised him too…

However…

Dinobot turned to face the human girl. He took the time to analyse her. He took in her stance and general demeanour…

She stood with her feet planted in a slight horse stance, slightly bent at the knee. It looked casual, natural and relaxed. But, it was as if she was prepared to move quickly if needed be. Under his gaze, Caitlin shifted to lean one shoulder against the boulder in a deceptive, he realised now, casualness. Her elbow-to-shoulder lean, supported her weight and also acted as a propeller if she needed to move quickly. Her head cocked inquisitively to the side. Her eyes: sharp and shrewd, glimmering with silent (but not entirely patient) curiosity. At his stare, she cocked her eyebrow and turned until her back was to the boulder. Her right left hand slid into her pocket, while the other lay relaxed at her side.

From what he could tell, she appeared to have a silent confidence in herself. It wasn't seen in whatever she said or outward attitude around others. He had seen often her play the part of a shy, timid nervous wreck… suspicious, confused and completely blown away by events. But, as she had grown more comfortable in her new setting: and from what he'd seen in one-on-one contact with her interactions with the other Maximals: her true personality showed and held true. Even next to such a dangerous beast as himself. She was, in a nutshell, from what he'd seen: deceptive and unpredictable. She did not react in ways he could predict. One example being the fact she'd kept the information regarding him and the visit of Terrorsaur to herself, when she could have told Optimus… Or used it as leverage…

It was then he made his decision.

"I will teach you."

The smirk he received was similar to the one Cheetor gave whenever something went his way. 'The cat that got the canary', smile. But, in Caitlin's case: it was much more like a demonic grin full of mischief. That smirk caused the irate reptile to suddenly wonder what he'd just agreed to. However, true to form: he was amendment to make sure that by the end of his lessons… she would regret ever asking…

She didn't think Dinobot would agree to teacher. But he had, if somewhat grudgingly. But, it deserved a smirk. And so she did. It wasn't every day the irate raptor acted like a nice guy… she would have to revel in it and mark it in her calendar! "Do we start training now… or late?" Caitlin asked, curious if they'd start sooner or later. She really hoped it was sooner… she was getting mighty bored lately.

"Later," Dinobot replied. He turned back to the sunset, his gaze caught on the stars beginning to blink into existence with the darkness. "We must clear it first with Optimus."

She nodded. "Acceptable." Curling up on the boulder, she stared up at the darkening sky. A comfortable silenced dropped between the two. So, it was no surprise to her that she began to feel drowsy. Her eyes began to close. Her breathing deepened out as she slipped into her dreams, and awareness flickered in and out until she remembered nothing. Dinobot spared the girl a glance, but quickly looked back at the sky and enjoyed the silence.

* * *

It was later in the night when Dinobot stared down at the sleeping form, curled up on the boulder, and sighed. It appeared that she'd been much more tired than he or anyone else had thought. Everyone had noticed that the place seemed cleaner in the last few days Caitlin had lived with them. He betted that she was cleaning the mess that surrounded the ship; starting with the kitchen… He'd seen her slip out of the kitchen once. A clean space where Rattrap had left his pile of rubbish he usually ate had been moved to a corner. And a lid had been locked over it, mercifully keeping the smell contained. The spare parts room had been organised according to a certain system. Similar parts were placed in certain areas of the room. Wires were ordered according to colour and length. It had helped remarkably. And now, Dinobot knew who to thank, even if he wouldn't say it outright.

Optics flashing with a decision, he picked her up and made his way to his room. Since what he was doing was so out of touch with his Predacon (former) character, he made sure no one witnessed him carrying the human girl: much like a knight carrying his fair damsel in his arms. As soon as that notion entered his processor, he immediately erased it. He quickly disappeared into his room, just in time. Rattrap had been just about to turn the corner. Quickly, but gently, he placed the girl on his bed. As soon as her back met the metal slab, she curled in on her side, placing a hand on her cheek. The sight was quite innocent. He was hesitant to make any other sound as he backed away. He took a seat against the wall, where he would usually clean his sword whenever it got too dirty.

He glared over at the peacefully sleeping human. But, he couldn't take her to Cheetor's room. Because, that could mean he'd be confronted about carrying the girl. He sighed. He should have just left her, found Cheetor and told him Caitlin had fallen asleep outside. But, it was too late now. Sudden knocking brought him out of his thoughts. He turned to face the door as Optimus appeared. His eyes widened as Optimus saw Caitlin sleeping on his berth. Quick! Think of something! "She had fallen asleep outside," his mouth managed to explain for him.

Wordlessly, Optimus nodded and approached the girl. "I'll take her to Cheetor's room," he said, unknowingly saving the raptor from doing it. "I'll be sure to tell her you brought her inside." Actually, he wasn't going to. He didn't think either one of them would feel comfortable with knowing…

Dinobot snorted and watched as Optimus carried her out the door. He glanced at her sleeping face as she was swept past him. Then, he lay on his berth where he'd placed Caitlin moments before. Her scent lingered there. It was subtle, but he found it… quite pleasant. He went to sleep with that scent of white-lily, vanilla and pine; and an underlying scent of copper metal.

Optimus also, unknowingly, shared Dinobot's opinion on Caitlin's scent as he carried her into Cheetor's room. He gently placed her on the berth she'd taken as her own, bundling her up in what she called a sleeping bag. He watched as she stretched out onto her stomach, arms folded under her head and sighed relaxedly in her sleep, a slight smile quirking at the corner of her lips. He left her there, watching Cheetor as he stepped past her. The cat purred in his throat as he rubbed his feline cheeks against her arm, before curling at the foot of her bed. Optimus wondered if Caitlin knew that Cheetor slept on the same bed with her, but figured that she probably did. So, he excused himself from the room, listening to Cheetor's purrs and Caitlin's deep and even breathing until he was out of hearing range.

* * *

In the morning, Caitlin awoke to find Cheetor – once again – sleeping at the foot of the bed. She couldn't bring herself to kick him off the berth, and he was keeping her feet warm while she slept. Besides, she used to share a bed with her siblings… once upon a time. So, she only sighed and slipped out from under the sleeping bag… and somehow she had managed to burrow into Cheetor's warm chest. It appeared that, despite being robots: they were as warm-blooded as their animal forms (or cold-blooded, if you took into account the arachnids and reptiles). As soon as her mind registered that she had to be "awake", and that gravity wasn't being a bitch, she tiptoed out of the room. She met Rattrap on the way. Actually, she bumped into him while she was rubbing her eyes. Yawning, the both had tumbled down onto the floor: with her landing on his chest, staring at his optics, wide eyed: she found herself unable to move for a second. Then, she forced herself to roll off him and stood to her feet.

She was NOT a morning person.

"The rat should wear a freakin' bell," She muttered as she gave him a hand up. He grunted in reply as they walked to the Control Room. They found they were the first ones up, which was surprising since Dinobot was usually the on up at this time. The freak of responsibility that he was…

"So… gettin' used to the base, Caitlin?" Rattrap asked as he took residence on a chair, turning on the computer to start a game.

"I suppose," she replied, yawning again. "Although I wish you robots knew about comfortable sleeping lodgings," she added with an annoyed undertone, stretching her limbs. Even with her sleeping bag: it was nearly impossible to get entirely comfortable…

Rattrap smirked, "Are you complaining 'bout it?"

"Not at all, vermin, not at all," she drawled and sat. Cocking her head, she leant her chin against her palm, narrowing her eyes on him.

Rattrap simply returned to his game. But, about twenty minutes later, he turned to find her still staring. "Whaddaya want?"

She tapped the armrest with her free hand. What a question. Aside from a comfy bed and a healthy (or obsessive) supply of chocolate and caffeine, she'd be right at home. But, she supposed he meant realistic things… Damn. "I was wondering if you'd teach me a few things you know… You're the resident spy, after all. You'd know how to stay hidden and be… stealthy. It might help me…"

Rattrap immediately froze at the unexpected request. Then, he narrowed his optics on her. He took in her shrewd eyes. "… Why wouldja wanna learn from me?" he had to ask, suspicious: the undertone of his voice underlining his confusion…

She sent him: '_isn't it obvious?_' expression, and explained: "You're a rat… in more ways than one. You could teach me how I could stay outta sight of the Preds. And… you could also teach me how to use a gun… or make demolitions… you know, just in case."

"In cast of what?"

"In the potential possibility that I get captured by the Preds… And _don't_ say it won't or can't happen, because it's possible that it _might_ happen."

Rattrap went quiet. He found he couldn't argue with her reasoning, so he nodded. "Fine, I'll teach you… but later." And he returned to his hand.

"Thank you Rattrap," Caitlin smiled, then behind his back: the smile grew until it bore teeth. "Now… do you know how to play… chess?"

Rattrap froze, then his head swivelled to face her. "Chess?" he asked, testing the word out, a frown still evident.

Caitlin cocked an eyebrow. '_He knows solitaire and poker… but not chess?'_ Then, she started explaining to the rat what chess was, smirking all the while. She knew something that the spy did not. It was a moment she'd mark in her calendar and remember forever… well, short of amnesia.

* * *

Caitlin and Rattrap had gotten well into the game. The rat had even learnt a few strategies and was getting better. Though, this was the fifth game and no points on his side. Rattrap was thinking over his next move, when Dinobot entered the Control Room. He instantly noticed the pair and his '_eyebrow_' quirked upwards. Intrigued, he slowly strode over. He stopped where he could see what was going on. Rattrap had made his move by that time – taking her knight –, but before the raptor could say anything however, Caitlin spoke up, explaining: "We're playing Chess. Currently.., we're tied."

"I don't know who ya're doin' it!" Rattrap groaned out, gripping the sides of his head in frustration, eyes on the board.

Smirk set in place, Caitlin pinched her Queen between her fingers – and took the bishop… leaving a three-way: "Check mate." She showed the rat that his King was surrounded by her Queen and two Castles. Rattrap groaned and fell into the temptation to bang his head against the bench. He cursed about never underestimating the human girl – who was smarter than she looked. Said human girl (whose eyes narrowed at the term) simply smirked and patted his head consolingly. "Good luck next time," she replied soothingly. "You're one of the harder challenges so far." (No, that was a lie. She hadn't played Chess with someone for almost eight months… when the last time had been with a friend…) Ignoring that train of thought, she wondered out loud: "I wonder I could beat Megatron? No… now _that's_ wishful thinking. Might as well ask Tarantulas while I'm at it… and teach Cheetor to sit still for three hours straight…. _Actually_ that might be an interesting challenge…"

"… Who's teaching Cheetor to sit still for three hours straight?" Optimus asked as he stepped into the Control Room.

Swivelling on her chair, she rolled her eyes before facing the ape. "I was being _sarcastic_, Optimus. It would be… unwise to wish for the improbable. For that would mean I would jinx my own self and end up falling off a cliff.., or something. Who knows? With my luck, I'll end up caught between a rock and a hard place with a choice between an arachnid and a volcano to run to… Though, I think I might choose the volcano. Damn me if I ever run to Tarantulas…"

"That made no sense," Optimus pointed out.

Shrugging, she growled irritably. "I am caffeine, sugar and chocolate deprived… Don't. Mock. Me. AND… I woke up earlier than I like to.

Optimus sighed at the moping female. Then, he noticed the moping rat. "What's up with Rattrap?"

He watched as Caitlin shook herself out of her moping. Then, she smirked evilly at Rattrap – who did not look up to answer. "I defeated him in Chess," she explained and stood up. "I have a query to ask of you, Optimus. If you don't mind…" she inquired as she approached him, hands linked behind her back.

Optimus nodded and gestured for her to follow him. He got into the lift beside Dinobot. Slipping her hands into her pockets, Caitlin followed at a casual pace. She stood between the two taller mechs, at ease between them as they went down. However, before the lift reached the ground: she hopped out and waited for them. Once his foot touched the ground, Optimus spoke: "What did you want to ask me?"

She didn't speak immediately, but slid her hands out of her pockets. She didn't seem to know what to do with them. She rubbed her hands on her pants, scratched at her back and neck until she finally dropped them, at a neutral place, at her sides. Then, she spoke. "I was wondering if you would allow Dinobot to teach me how to defend myself…"

Optimus reaction was immediate: he frowned. "No."

Apparently, she did not like that answer. She cocked her brow and folded her arms; her hazel eyes challenging and determined. "Begging your pardon, Optimus, but you cannot factor into every equation and theoretical hypothesis that comes along – that involves the Predacons, in a battle. There may come a time when I cannot simply run off into the base and switch on the auto-guns… or when I can hide between/behind you guys for protection. I _will_ get into a spot of trouble when I'm alone… and with no help available to me. And _no_, you cannot say that can never happen. If something _can_ go wrong, it _will_. It's the law of the world I live in. If Dinobot teaches me some ways to avoid – or even defend myself – in the possibility that I am captured or surrounded: then I can avoid being used as a bargaining chip, or worse: killed."

Optimus paused at that. His refusal at putting her into any sort of harm, showed on his face, but he had to concede to what she was saying. She was speaking the truth. They were in a war. Accidents can and would happen. No matter how hard or how much he might plan. So, it left him with no option. He was a Maximal. He couldn't leave her without any sort of defence, should she ever get captured. Which, she had ever-so efficiently pointed out: was a high possibility. Since she was a human, she was, be default: the weakest member of the team. He sighed heavily. "Alright, Caitlin, you win," he said, obviously not liking this arrangement, but—he turned a stern '_No Shit Will Be Tolerated_' stare upon Dinobot. "But _you_, Dinobot, must remember that she is a _human_. She is not made of metal."

Feelings of inferiority and uselessness aside, Caitlin smirked and couldn't help but say: "And here I thought I was a precious gem! You know, Optimus, resilience comes in many different/varying forms."

Optimus turned to her with a confused expression on his face. "And why do you say that?"

She grinned wryly, shrugged and turned away. "I'm the eldest child of a mother who plays both parents to us kids." She chucked darkly in her throat, not liking at either mech. "And guess who had the most responsibility fallen into her lap, despite there being other's to choose from?" She caught Optimus' look and held up a hand to stop him from saying what was on his mind. She knew what he meant. "Physical resilience to your standards – being the robots you are – is going to be pain, I know. I've had the luxury of never going to war…. Well," she amended tonelessly, "if you discount the silent, mental and emotional manipulating and back-stabbing feud between certain family members and assholes in every peer group…"

As Caitlin trailed off, her mind wandering somewhere in the cosmos, Optimus nodded. "I see… Alright, but… Don't forget your shifts."

Dinobot nodded in reply and turned to Caitlin. He noticed the far-off look in her eye and rapped her over the head with his knuckles. It brought her back into painful awareness and she hissed as the pain hit. She turned a glare up at him but all he said as: "Let's go, Caitlin." And turned around, transforming into his raptor form as he strutted away. "I shall first build up your endurance. I will give you a new definition for pain!"

Caitlin felt a premonition-chill run down her spine. Somehow, she felt she'd regret this. But-she came from a long line of stubborn-ingrained blood. Besides, most of her family were red heads… with explosives temperaments. For the most part, she was implosive. She could take whatever Dinobot dished out. Complaining all the way if need be, but she'd do it. Gritted teeth and all!

She always had…

* * *

Cursing her stubborn pride to hell: she went on to damn her ancestors a furious pain in their life in the afterlife while she was at it – for sending her this damned pride to begin with. Silent and reserved pride was what she had but it often showed itself at the worst possible moments. Like right now. Sighing, she slowly inched herself up the cliff face. _This_ was what Dinobot had asked her to do first. Climb the cliff to the very top. Before sunset if you could believe it. He must think she was a miracle worker. She was no primping fair, thank you! She sighed. She _knew_ she'd regret this. But, like she said: she had a silent pride in herself. It was one rarely-hardly-ever seen by anyone. And the crux of her existence was she was more stubborn than a mule and a donkey put together. Even a temperamental toddler would be preferable to when she was in one of her stubborn moods. She'd outrun the damn things.

Still… It was a long way _down_… and a long way _up_.

Gritting her teeth, she edged her fingers towards a crack in the rocks. She felt along for a suitable place to set her foot against, hardly daring to look down. She hated heights. Finding purchase, she eased herself further upwards to her goal. Sweat poured out of her pores without mercy, which made it harder to grip the rock beneath her hands. Her hands were shaking form exhaustion as well. Excruciating pain shot at every cell, like a fire was burning within her.

Her _arms_ were burning!

Her _legs_ were burning!

Her _lungs_ were on fire!

And her back… was _absolutely_ killing her!

But-she'd always found that, whenever she did something demandingly physical, and the longer she committed herself to it; she'd strangely start to find it easier to lift herself up high. It was like a sort of adrenalin high: like she'd just had a lot of mints, lemonade, chocolate and two espressos all at once. With a malicious grin at the rocks that were about to be grinded to dust before they triumphed, she forced herself upwards until she finally came to the top. She heaved herself over the edge and gave herself a victorious fist-in-the-air, and lay on her back, panting in exhaustion. She stopped, feeling a shadow loom over her, taking away the heat of the blistering-hot sun. She wished it had stepped just a little more towards the right, so that her face would be covered by the shade of the form before her.

Opening tired, hazel eyes, she squinted up into the sun. Dinobot loomed impressively over her. His arms folded across his chest as he cocked his eyebrow. "Ah… Lemme guess," she sighed with feeling. "I have a long and painful road ahead of me, don't I? And _that_… was just a taster?" Her answer was a malicious, predator grin. That look could only belong to Dinobot. She sighed again and pushed herself to her feet. It took some effort, but she managed. She had a long road ahead of her. She was going to face it eye-to-eye as she tackled it head-on. Mark her words. She'd tackle it head-on. Even if it killed her. Whether it liked it or not. So, she returned his grin with her own. Though, she suspected hers came out more mischievous then evil. Dinobot cocked a brow in question. She shrugged at it and turned way, ready to run back down the hill. That was also part of the training exercise. She turned a smirk at him over her shoulder. "You'd think I was all sugar-and-spice, wouldn't you?" She chuckled darkly, shaking her head at his nod. She wagged her finger as if scalding a child, "Don't judge a book by its cover, Dinobot."

And she sped off, racing him back home.

Of course, she lost. But-it was the fact she didn't stop once they were back inside the base that counted.

And that she was enjoying it.

* * *

It was 3 hours later that she had enough energy to approach Rattrap in regards to her training. She received the "five minutes" reply. She waited ten minutes. Then, she returned to his side, shut off the game and demanded he start teach or she'd start rearranging his schedule to match with a certain raptor's. That got the rat's attention and immediate reaction. She had to watch her feet as she was dragged into his room. She coughed at the smell, sidestepping a few gross objects that had, at some stage in time: had once been food. "You need a maintenance bot badly!" she wheezed, coughing harshly against the smell, lest she inhale the stench.

Rattrap rolled his eyes, but grabbed what he'd come in for. Grabbing her wrist, he dragged her outside the back of the ship. He sat her down against a boulder and plonked down beside her. He placed what appeared to be an alarm clock, beside him. "Now, I wan'cha ta hide somewhere, and stay hidden until the alarm rings," he said. He shut off his optics; the robot version of closing their eyes. "This will continue until I can't find you for a half-hour longer than the time limit," he continued, his tone almost strictly business.

She replied with an understanding grunt, turned tail and fled between the boulders. She tried to find someplace to hide…

It was only twenty minutes later when Rattrap found her. He didn't seem either impressed or disappointed in how she fared, but she had to ask: "How'd you know I was there?" She followed him back to the starting point, frowning. She'd always been good at hide-and-go-seek…

Rattrap scoffed. "You was breathing too hard. Could hear ya a mile away. The key," he explained, "is to stay calm, and don't panic. Even if ya think they're gonna find ya. If they can't hear ya, they won't be so sure." He placed a finger to his chin and sat down. "But I admit, it was a good hiding spot. You just need ta work on ya breathin'," he added. And the alarm went off. She frowned at her new enemy. Five minutes more and she would have at least lasted til the alarm sounded.

She hummed noncommittal and looked to his gun, which had appeared in his hands. She hadn't even noticed the movement. She stared at it, eyes widened slightly as he handed it to her. She held it awkwardly, hazily remembering a time she'd last held one and almost dropped it. Rattrap sighed and got up. He showed her how to hold it properly. He stood behind her as he directed her, getting quite close into her personal space. She was not used to close contact with others. She remained focused on what she was being told, allowing the contact for the sake of learning how to use the gun.

"You gotta hold it like that, see? Much better," Rattrap said. Then, he suddenly realised how close he was to her. Very, very close. Since he was taller than her, he hovered over her smaller form, but did not over tower it like Dinobot or Optimus did. But, in this position: he could smell her delicious scent. Hastily, he moved away before he inhaled too much. "Now," he cleared his throat, "All you gotta do now… Is aim and fire."

She nodded and looked around. "What do I aim at?" Chuckling, he grasped her shoulders and gently, but firmly, turned her around. He showed her a small boulder, twenty metres away. Caitlin nodded and aimed… The rat made a bet with himself if she could hit it dead-centre first go, or shoot wide and hit something else. He watched with bated breath, her eyes aimed on the prize. With a single wink, she fired…. Shooting the rock clean in the dead-centre; the rest was blasted into different directions in a neat cloud of dust and smaller-sized pebbles. Rattrap's jaw dropped. Chuckling upon seeing it, Caitlin approached and placed a finger under his chin. Gently, she closed his jaw from him. "Better keep that closed… Else you'll trap flies."

Rattrap blinked, and seemed to grow heat under her hands. He tore himself away, exclaiming: "That was… amazing! You sure you never shot a gun before?"

Caitlin was quiet for a moment, then shook her head and handed him the gun. "Never." She kept her eyes on some point in the distance. "But I think I might order in my own, just in case. Do hand-held weapons other than guns, work on robots?" she asked. Rattrap nodded and began to explain what worked and what didn't, all the way back to the base.

* * *

And so… life continued for Caitlin. She'd get up on the mornings and train with Dinobot. She would rest for an hour or so before she decided she'd harass Rattrap for some training. Never did she ask him at the same time. Then, she'd often clean the Axalon. Much to her chagrin. The dust in the place kept making her sneeze…. Her life was as busy as a bee's. And she'd have it no other way. Exhaustion was a small price to pay to make sure that she would survive. She also started to explore her own "abilities", which were given to her by those balls of light. She'd found that she could move things with her mind. Sometimes she managed to turn herself invisible, but she felt sick afterwards. She also found that she could hear thoughts. Oh fun! But, the best thing she found was that: the elements were hers to command… within reason, of course.

Air could not become earth, unless she combined all the dust within it.

Water could not be fire as fire could not be water – without being lava, which was its more liquefied form.

And, on a side note: attempting to transform oneself was not advisable. It hurt like a bitch with a chain saw.

However, she only practiced her abilities at night. Perhaps, the evidence of her exhaustion showed.

But, if it did: no one seemed to pick up on it.


	4. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3: "Chain of Command"**_

Over time, under the ever-so-helpful hand of Dinobot: Caitlin grew her endurance and resilience levels to a point – where she could just about tie with Cheetor in a race. Provided she had a bit of a head start, of course. Like say: two miles. She had also managed to keep up with Dinobot's long strides for longer each time he took her with him. Though, that wasn't often. And if he even got a hint of a Predacon signature, he sent her running. He was not an idiot, after all. If she died on a mission with him… well. Optimus might be a Maximal, but there were other ways he could punish the saurian. However, whilst on those patrols: Dinobot taught her how to use the environment to her advantage. She had yet to successfully ambush him. But, he'd said she only needed to learn how to listen…. Whatever the hell that meant. Perhaps it was meant to be some sort of test that she'd learn on her own.

Sighing, she leant back against the outer wall of the ship and looked up at the clouds. Smirking wistfully, she traced whatever she noticed there. So far…, she'd seen and sketched a few rabbits, a parrot, a donkey… and she _swore_ she saw Rattrap and Dinobot in the skies. If she tilted her head in such a way… it _almost_ looked as if they were hugging. _That_ – was quite an amusing sight, especially, since it would be nigh-on impossible. Or simply: highly improbable.

There would be no chance – No Way! – In _hell_ she would tell anyone about it; especially, the Maximals in question. For one, Rattrap would blow her up into little pieces of Caitlin... and as for Dinobot? He'd shred her eyes into even tinier pieces – before blasting whatever was left into miniscule dust particles of air that no one could see without a super-microscope.

…Such a lovely thought. Speaking of which…

Glancing down at the watch Rhinox had made for her (and taught her how it worked. She'd never be able to explain how it worked to anyone else if she was asked, but she got the general gist of it.) The rhino had even explained how she could fix it if she ever needed to do so herself. The watch itself served as a way for her to communicate with the others, when she was out of range: it was a homing signal. It also told her the time, which took her a while to remember how this robot-watch actually DID tell the time.

It was almost time for her to return. Sighing, she closed her eyes and released a groan. She was so tired. All she wanted to do at the moment was: close her eyes and go to sleep. But, she had duties to do and lessons to learn. She had learnt the hard way not to skirt around them. It was potentially fatal to both her pride and her body. Once, she'd been caught sleeping longer than she'd meant to. Dinobot had been most displeased with her when he'd found her. She could _still_ feel the bruises from that training session he'd forced upon her (not like she didn't ask for the lessons beforehand).

However, she held a new respect for the power of the boulder.

Wincing slightly, she moved to readjust her position. She rubbed her shoulder, twitching slightly in remembered pain and then forced herself to stand up. It was time to face the music, so to speak. She would have to take out her IPod from the bottom of her bag. It would make the place less boring and give her something to do when she was on a "break." If it _worked_, that is. Electronics had a way of mucking up around Energon fields. But, she could hope. Stretching one final time, reluctant to leave the warm spot, she turned away and approached the lift. When she appeared in the Control Room, Rattrap appeared suddenly at her side. He grabbed her elbow and pulled her back into the lift. Dinobot, stepped inside as well and they want down together.

This only said one thing… "Mission?" she asked, blank-faced_. 'It must be a Monday,_' she thought darkly.

"Affirmative," Dinobot growled in reply. Gruff as the bear that had woken up to early in the Winter.

"Thank the Matrix," she muttered under her breath. Rattrap smirked as he followed her out of the lift. They had to catch up with the others who were up ahead. Rattrap and Dinobot had probably been told to wait for her, or had opted to. But she figured it was more of the former than the later.

"What… was… that?" the raptor asked slowly. She didn't see his eyes, but they were probably on the verge of an angry laser-green.

Flinching, she realised he had heard what she had said, and gulped. Then, she burst into a smile and shrugged. Before Dinobot could react, she had shot towards Cheetor: arms wildly waving as she tried to get Cheetor's attention – screaming madly. "WAIT FOR ME CHEETOR! GET ME AWAY FROM THE CRAZY RAPTOR SLAVE DRIVER!"

"_Excuse me_?" the raptor growled as he started to charge. But, Caitlin was already a mile ahead as she pummelled into the dirt, trying to stay out of his reach. Rattrap and Optimus chuckled as they watched the human dodge and dance around the raptor that kept lunging at her. There were several times when they thought her head would get bitten off – only for Caitlin to dance out of the way, shimmy around him. She always kept away from his whip-like tail and snapping jaws. A smile was etched on her face…

"Cool your conflict circuits!" Optimus said sternly. But, when Caitlin stopped suddenly; she ducked under Dinobot's outstretched arms. And – contrary to his warrior's grace – tripped over and fell haphazardly sprawled on the ground. But, Caitlin didn't notice that. She had noticed Optimus had a smile in his optics. Even for the past… two months was it now? It was still quite a mystery to her how these robots could express emotion – like any human.

"Are we almost there?" she asked, noticing a strange structure ahead. It was strangely reminiscent – and _exactly_ like: **_Stone Henge_**. She ignored the growling of Dinobot. She'd just to keep out of reach of the irritable raptor and stay beside Optimus.

Optimus nodded. "Yes. This is the Standing Stones."

"Joy… It looks just like a keyhole," Caitlin drawled, casting suspicious glances at the structure. This had been here for… _'Well'_, she thought. 'Considering _I was brought here by aliens, it could only make sense aliens built this. But… why? Is there something significant about this or something? Bah, my head hurts._' Shaking her head, she decided to might try to warn them. After all, this could be the Vok's enemy's artefact. It was a hunch, but she'd always gone with her hunches… "All we need to do is find the key… and see what it opens and brings. And usually, it isn't a nice guest filled with love and roses, if ya know what I'm saying."

"Well, ain't you a shiny ray of optimism," Rattrap drawled sarcastically as Rhinox started a scan.

Caitlin cast him a blank look before it transformed into a sly smirk. Rattrap found it disturbingly similar to the one Dinobot, or even himself, used. It spoke and exclaimed: trouble. With a capital T. "I prefer the term, _realist_, which is more than I can say for you… _vermin_," Caitlin snarked back. "Besides, you ain't exactly a bucket full of shine and polish, yaself." Smirking wider, she turned around and went to inspect the Standing Stones on her own.

As she approached the middle of the structure, Rattrap gaped after her. "She's turning into another Dinobot," he shivered as he followed Rhinox. "An' one of him is bad enough."

Dinobot couldn't help but think that Caitlin also carried some of Rattrap's quirks as well…

"This isn't a natural formation," Rhinox said suddenly, interrupting the quiet: translating what he read on the scanner. "Somebody… _somehow_, built this thing."

"Yeah, well eh, excuse me ever-message, but eh… I thought this place was uninhabited," Rattrap spoke up snarkily.

Scoffing, she felt inclined to give the rat a smack over the head. "Not discounting the animals that were already here – and the one whose DNA gave you that beast mode you have now, of course," she drawled derisively. Folding her arms, she leant against the dish of rocks upon rocks, in a sour mood.

"Something else is odd," Optimus said, holding up his scanner at the rocks behind Caitlin. "I'm getting an Energon reading. It's under this pile of rocks."

"Just like bait in the mouse trap!" Rattrap exclaimed. Then, he shivered, looking around warily. "This place alternates my currents…"

Dinobot moved towards the piles of rocks, which forced Caitlin to shift aside while Rhinox spoke up something he'd noticed. "You know… the Energon on this planet doesn't fit with its geology. Hard to believe that it could have formed naturally."

Caitlin froze, but it went unnoticed as she glanced up at the sky – starting at the second moon in particular. She frowned thoughtfully as Dinobot pulled down a rock with a grunt. "However it got here… We must remove it before the Predacons do!" the raptor informed them.

Spine tingling, Caitlin felt a rush of eerie paranoia until she heard: "Ah, Dinobot… that Predacon chip still ticks inside your treacherous hide," a conversational – and purple and green-back tyrannosaurus rex said. She blinked, getting a close look at him. From what she'd heard from the Maximals… this could only be Megatron. "And I think we _will_ take it, yes. No Energon too small, I always say…"

"So," Caitlin mused, leaning against the pile of boulders. "This, is Mega-fucked-up-atron…" She gave him a look up and down, and sighed. "And as my favourite dinosaur… I guess I'm gonna hafta come up with a new favourite…"

His attention completely turned to her. "Ah… so you are the new human, ye! It seems that Vincent was correct… and that another human was sent here."

"You mean my opposition is here?" a deep voice asked and, from behind a stone: appeared a black-haired, green-eyed nineteen year old boy. He was dressed smartly in a white shirt, black pants and boots. Caitlin cocked an eyebrow at the boy as he gave her a long look, and then sneered: "You mean they expect me to fight a _girl_?"

Eyes flashing angrily, she folded her arms over her chest and retorted: "And they expect me to fight an _asshole_? Typical…"

"Wait a minute," Optimus exclaimed, sending her a confused look, "What do you mean you were sent here?"

Vincent laughed a harsh sound, and sneered. "You haven't told them?"

Caitlin shrugged, ignoring the stares. "I don't tell anyone everything and anything on the go. And… they didn't broach the subject."

Vincent shook his head sadly. "It's a shame we're gonna have to fight each other, girly… I would have loved to take you on a night you'd never forget."

Caitlin cocked an eyebrow: eyes flashing like fire. Her anger a palatable force rushing through her veins. "**_Excuse me_**?" she hissed. "I _hardly_ think you could. Meaningless encounters are _hardly_ worth my time." She sneered and cocked her hip, sending him a passing, disinterested glance over his toned physique hidden under tasteful clothing. One word came to mind: _Prideful_. "And I don't think you'd _ever_ be able to make the effort to match _my_ pace."

Vincent glared, but before anything could be said or done, two annoying voices appeared on the scene:

"Waspinator TERRORISE!"

TERRORSAUR TERRORISE!"

Caitlin dodged the gunshots and took cover with Dinobot and Rattrap behind a pillar.

"Man! You're old friend don't miss a beat, do they?" Rattrap grouched to Dinobot, who simply stared angrily in the distance.

_'I don't think now's the best time to be snarking, rat,'_ Caitlin thought, frowning disapprovingly at him.

"Dinobot… MAXIMISE!" the rat growled. Both the rat and raptor transformed into their robot modes, leaving Caitlin to dodge the limbs

_'Yeah, thanks!'_ she sniffed inwardly_. 'I wish I had a shield… Wait, those things are fucking heavy! Damn I am so screwed!'_

"Keep them away from the crystal!" Optimus ordered.

"Oh, yeah sure… Give us the dirty work!" Rattrap whined, but shot up at Scorponok, before Cheetor shot at him. He fell.

"Scratch one!" Cheetor exclaimed, then flinched at the mad cackling of Tarantulas before he was shot down by Rattrap.

"Flyers, incoming!" Rhinox warned calmly. The only calm one, in Caitlin's opinion. How in the hell did he stay so bloody calm?

"They're mine!" Optimus yelled. He flew into the air and took out Waspinator easily. He missed Terrorsaur and the Predacon aimed at the pile of rocks. Caitlin gasped as the missile hit the boulders. It was close to her "shelter", so she bolted forward. Weightlessness. She flew into the air and landed on top of Rhinox. She gasped upon impact. Her breath knocked clean out of her.

"Terrorsaur, you fool!" Megatron growled. "You've unleashed the crystal's energy! It's useless to us now! Back to base, Beast Mode!"

Looking up, Caitlin watched them run away. She would have growled at Vincent as he winked saucily at her as he ran, but her ribs hurt too much.

"Beast Modes, Maximals! And prepare for Energon waves!" Optimus warned.

"Can you run?" Rhinox asked.

Caitlin shook her head, "Can't breathe properly. Ngnnha! Pain!"

Dinobot growled. Her eyes snapped to him. She hadn't realised she was behind him. Before she could react, he threw her over her shoulder. It was neither gentle nor forceful, but somewhere in the middle. Still, the movement hurt like a mother as her ribs jarred. She gripped tightly to him as he ran. Then, felt herself being dropped to the ground. Her eyesight dimmed, but she felt the raptor cover her with his body like a shield. She kept still, unmoving and uncomfortable being this close. Then her sight returned: and she saw the bright blue light of the crystals being shot into the air… like a laser-signal.

When it was over, Dinobot immediately removed himself. She sat up, groaning as she did so. Lifting up her shirt, she saw she'd gained more bruises… and then hastily stood to her feet.

Rhinox stood up and stared at the stones. "Like I said… Those stones aren't natural."

"What in the galaxy was that?" Cheetor exclaimed, wide-eyed and trembling.

"Looked like some sort of a-a signal.., but to who?" Rhinox asked, his eyes turned to the skies.

Optimus was silent for a moment. Then, he looked up. "Well, perhaps we'll learn the answer to that.., someday."

Humming noncommittally, Caitlin grasped her ribs. "Well… let's hope the-who and what-aren't angry we destroyed their little signal." She hissed as she attempted to stand up straight, only to immediately hunch over again. That fall had done her in. She figured she had broken or fractured a rib.

"Are you functional?" Dinobot asked, glancing down at her. He had noticed her hunched form, holding her ribs.

She shook her head. "I think I… owww FUCK THAT HURTS—cracked a rib."

Rhinox approached and prodded her in the ribs. Giving a startled, pained cry as he found the cracked rib, she tried to move away. However, Rhinox had already fastened a right hold on her upper arm, so she was going nowhere. "Don't move too much!" Rhinox warned. "You'll damage them further."

"Then stop your bloody prodding!" Caitlin snapped, hissing like a cat after being drenched in water. "Do you have _any_ idea how much that hurts?!"

Rhinox rolled his eyes, undeterred. He was used to such, whiny patients. "You're going to have to be carried gently back to the base," he informed, ignoring the headed glare that was shot his way. He did, however, switch back to this beast mode and crouched down.

"I hate the fact that translates into me having to be patient," Caitlin growled, but obediently allowed Optimus to help her onto Rhinox's back. Once she was comfortable and secure, he set off at a relaxed pace. She remained moping on top, trying to keep her ribs as still as possible; to avoid having them jerked. _'What a fucking marvellous day. First time in a battle situation, and I get my ribs cracked. Just fucking perfect. I hate damsel connotations!'_

They were half-way back to the base, when Rhinox quietly asked her: "Will you tell me what that human male was talking about?"

Caitlin froze at the question, but said nothing, remaining tight-lipped.

"Caitlin?"

"I'll tell you later… Right now, I'd rather not… Until I'm ready. Cos, right now, I'm still trying to wrap my head 'round it."

"That's okay. You can tell me when you feel that you're up to it," Rhinox replied understandably, and continued on in silence.

* * *

Once they had finally neared the Axalon, Caitlin began to tap wildly on Rhinox's shoulders in irritation. He was taking forever to reach the lift. When he finally stopped (Oh, thank the Almighty Powers That Be!), Optimus appeared down the lift to help her off the rhino's back. He carried her into the medical bay, where he then searched for something to protect her rib cage. Caitlin sat silent as a statue on the bench, trying to control the pain. Then, she heard an exclamation from the ape, signalling he'd found what he'd been looking for. Turning around, the ape paused. He cleared his throat. "You're… going to have to take off your shirt," he said, keeping his voice professional.

Caitlin blushed, uncomfortable about that, but attempted to lift her shirt. But, she couldn't lift it without causing pain. Realising the situation, she blushed a deeper red and cleared her throat uncomfortably. But, there was no avoid it: "You're… going to have to help me take it off," she mumbled, turning away.

Optimus was careful as he slowly slipped off the shirt. His eyes widened as, with the disappearance of the shirt; came the exposal of a number of scarps and bruises. "How did you keep up with us all that time?" he asked. Not all of the markings on her body were new. Some looked old. The new ones were bruises that covered her chest, back and arms: all of different sizes and colours. The darkest was near on her ribcage, where she'd fallen on Rhinox's rump.

Caitlin simply shrugged, but winced at the movement. "Can you please just bind my ribs, please?" she asked, on the verge of whining. "I don't want my ribs to heal haphazardly, you know."

Optimus nodded and careful bound her ribs firmly. He was avoided as much skin-to-metal contact as possible. When he was finally done, he helped her replaced her shirt and then helped her back to her room. They bumped into Rattrap who said he'd take her to her room, since he was going to his own. Caitlin, officially, held a room between Rattrap and Dinobot when she didn't sleep over at Cheetor's. She was usually the mediator between the two of them when others couldn't.

"Alright then, here we are," the rat said. He hoisted the exhausted girl through her doorway.

Cheetor was finishing cleaning his half of the room. The two of them had already planned another sleep over. "Hey Caitlin!" the cat smiled, but he frowned at her exhausted, pained expression. Immediately, the cat helped the rat place her on her own bed, in her room. She thanked them tiredly, closed her eyes and within moments, she was breathing deeply. Both Maximals tip-toed out of the room.

"She's been more and more exhausted lately," Cheetor mused to himself.

Rattrap blinked at Cheetor. "Why do you say that, kid?"

Cheetor blinked as if he hadn't realised he'd spoken out loud. "Uh, I don't know how I'd explain it, since Caitlin always has an excuse for coming to bed later and later, and she seems to be skipping on her sleep." Rattrap frowned at the thought. He bid the cat goodnight as he disappeared down the hallway. He would have to ask her next time she was out and about, he thought.

Until then, he'd leave her be.

* * *

When Caitlin woke up, she reluctantly removed herself from the berth. She gingerly got up and headed for the Control Room. She heard hushed talking, finding that Rattrap, Rhinox and Cheetor were grouped around the restoration chamber—which opened up to reveal only Dinobot. He looked confused. She frowned when she saw panic flare in his eyes. "Maximal torture chamber!" he yelled, panicked. Quickly, Caitlin stepped the side as he practically tore himself out of the chamber. He even went as far as pushing both Rhinox and Cheetor out of the way. And jumping atop Rattrap as he bolted the fuck outta there!

"HEY!" Cheetor exclaimed as Dinobot skidded to a halt in front of the control stations, roaring at them.

She'd never seen him so panicked. Instantly, she forgot her own pain as she stepped forward. "CALM DOWN, DINOBOT!" she yelled and winced as she started him. The usually graceful warrior fell backwards, bumping his legs on the edge of a chair, and his head on the edge of the console. Shaking her head, she cautiously approached and looked down at him. His eyes were spinning. He was probably chasing robotic flying wheels… "You alright down there, Raptor Mc'Clutz?" – She just had to ask, keeping back her laughter at his position.

"I am… operational," Dinobot groaned as he hefted himself to his feet. Caitlin backed away and plonked her behind on a chair, hissing in pain.

"Whoa, hey, power down! You're on our side now… _remember_?" Cheetor exclaimed since Dinobot hadn't calmed down.

"Affirmative," Dinobot replied, closing his eyes as he realised that he'd panicked… for apparently no reason.

"And Maximals _don't_ have torture chambers," Rattrap added, and then, hummed as he seemed to consider the idea, "Although you know, he-he. I _could_ get behind that idea."

"How… how did I get here?" Dinobot asked, swaying slightly as if uncomprehending his current position.

Rhinox helped him catch his bearings, saying, "We found you dumped in front of the command base hatch. Scraped down and… alone."

Caitlin froze, suddenly noticing the lack of Optimus' presence… _'How could I not have noticed?'_ she berated herself.

"Aw, just like an innocent orphan in a B-movie," Rattrap drawled with mock concern.

"Optimus?" Dinobot questioned.

"Yeah, we were hopin' that the innocent orphan baby could tell us what happened with Optimus," the rat snarked.

Caitlin's eyes flashed in annoyance. Now was _not_ the time for that. She slammed her fist down before anything else could be said. Instant silence. She flinched under the attention, She couldn't believe she'd just done that. Too late now, though. But then, a thought struck her. "I'm guessing that the probe had something to do with Optimus' disappearance," she thought out loud. "And… from what I've been hearing from Optimus, Megatron will be most… opportunistic about this." Thoughtfully, she braced her elbow against the bench. Propping her chin on her arm, she splayed her fingers upon her cheek, and tapped them rhythmically. Her eyes stared intently into the distance, but kept moving up and down. This signified she was either thinking, or plotting. "Knowing what I do about my luck, the Preds'll attack the base any minute now. If said base is not undermined, they'll head for the pod."

Nodding to herself, her eyes refocused. She looked at the others after her little thought-gathering.

They were staring at her with different levels of amazement and disbelief.

That instantly set fire to Caitlin's defensive mechanisms.

"**_What_**?" she snapped defensively after a minute of them just _staring_ at her.

"That was quite… smart," Rattrap admitted.

She frowned at the rat, irked slightly. "It's called a hunch!" she snarked snappishly, disguising the fact the rat had struck a chord. Turning away, she huffed, "Besides… From what I've learnt about the Predacons: Megatron's the megalomaniac, smooth and ambitious tyrant. Tarantulas' is the gluttonous, estranged, maniacal scientist. Scorponok is the gullible and loyal second-in-command. Terrorsaur is the opportunistic, cunning and treacherous, back-stabbing coward. And Waspinator… He's the annoying flier you'll shoot on sight, if only to stop the noise that comes outta his mouth. He's a complainer about his job, and likes to wander off and go sugar-binging."

"I thought you said you weren't all that intelligent or knowledgeable about war," Rhinox said, crossing his arms and raising his brows.

Caitlin repeated the motion. Shrugging her shoulders, she pulled out one of her daggers that Rattrap had helped fashion for her. She decided to spin it in her fingers, watching it move, refusing to acknowledge both the stares and the pains in her ribs. "I have nothing else to do but train with Dinobot, play with Cheetor, play mediator between Rattrap and Dinobot – which doesn't always work – set up rosters, find my own food…. I take the time to go over notes Dinobot made for me about Predacons. And what Optimus gave me about Maximal's and Predacon's history. It's quite interesting, really. When I get it translated. And I also have to watch you battle each other, out of range, of course… since I don't fancy loosing an arm or anything. I'd imagine those missiles would blow me away… into itty-bitty pieces."

"So you're basically saying, everything you know, is just research? And what you've learnt from observing our battles?" Cheetor asked, simplifying the Caitlin-speak.

She smiled, nodding in reply, before she frowned and glanced between Dinobot and Rattrap. "So," she drawled and asked, "Which if you two is going to be the leader in Optimus' absence?" She remained blank-faced as a sudden silence entered the Control Room as surely as if she had said that Megatron had a gig as the Cowardly Lion.

Who indeed…

Once Caitlin's question had sunk into their brains, about an hour later, the raptor and the rat began to argue. Whilst she had expected it, nevertheless, Caitlin grew angry to the point of explosion (as opposed to implosion), when Dinobot Maximised. He brandished his sword in a very clear manner that illustrated his intent. And Rattrap stalked over, facing the spoken and unspoken threats, head on. "You've been messing with the wrong mouse, Chopperface," he said smoothly, dangerously-as he placed his gun under Dinobot's chin.

That did it.

"STOP FIGHTIN' LIKE A COUPLE O' RAPID DOGS FIGHTIN' OVA A SCRAP O' MEAT!" Caitlin roared over the two bickering mechs. This started both of them out of their fierce stare-down. It was rare Caitlin ever raised her voice, but what was most strange: were the flames flickering in her hands as she gave them a glare even the devil would be wary of. But, then the flames were gone; and the four mechs wondered whether it was a trick of the light.

"We're not Predacons here," Rhinox said, taking the initiative to step in with Caitlin's interrupting. He stepped between Dinobot and Rattrap, pushing them apart. "We'll settle the chain-of-command in traditional Maximal fashion… by secret ballot!"

Folding her arms over her chest, Caitlin was quick to declare: "I'm not voting!" She spun on her heel, approached her desk where the two guns Rhinox had made her, were waiting.

"And why not?" Rattrap asked, hands on his hips.

Placing her own hands on her hips, she cocked a hip to the side. Spinning the gun between her fingers (she had been practising under Rattrap's tutelage, after all. He liked to show off). She'd learnt how to handle gun, and in her opinion: had gotten quite good at it. Maybe not the best shot at a moving target, but she wasn't bad. She cocked her head, considering Rattrap's question. Looking between the rat and the raptor, she went with honesty. Dinobot valued such a thing, and Rattrap wouldn't be able to refute it (overly much). "I wouldn't know who to choose. Both of you have merits; just as you both have flaws. Personally, I don't really care. Think of me as a neutral party that loves to annoy the both of you… While staying on your good sides, but!-I digress! I am not voting. And you cannot make me."

With that, she turned back to her guns. She started to load them with ammo before turning to her daggers. She'd kept them hidden all over her person. After all, who knew when you'd need one in the back of her pants or under her hair? She began to clean them, promptly ignoring the existence of everyone else in the room. Her breathing remained laboured, however, as she tried to ignore the dull, throbbing sting of pain.

"One vote for Rattrap," Rhinox called out. Blinking, Caitlin spun around on the chair to watch, curious as to what might happen and what the results would finally be. Rattrap smirked, making a pleased sound in his throat at his name, mocking Dinobot. "One more vote for Dinobot." This time, Dinobot gave an intense stare as he growled softly under his breath, pleased. "One more vote for Rattrap and… one more vote for Dinobot." Having counted the result, Rhinox sighed with feeling… _deeply_. "It's a tie."

"Ayy, what?!" Rattrap exclaimed in outrage. He slammed his palms onto the desk before him, and glared around accusingly. "Which one of you-you traitors voted for the Predacon?!"

"It's a secret ballot, no one has to tell," Caitlin spoke up.

Dinobot gave a humourless, sarcastic chuckle. "Great system, your _democracy_. No mechanism to break a tie."

"Some power-play, leather-lips!" Rattrap sneered. "You know, I'm starting to wonder if that alien probe had anything to do with Optimus disappearing."

"That's what _I_ said!" Caitlin snapped, glaring. "And why don't you draw straws if you can't decide who'll lead?" she suggested wryly to change the subject. Then her eyes gleamed devilishly as the grin that stretched across her face. "Or… maybe do my dare and hug each other. First to let go loses and becomes my cabana boy." Both the rat and the raptor glared furiously at the human female; who smirked maliciously at their faces, unperturbed by their anger.

"I've heard enough from this scrawny thief!" Dinobot growled, throwing off the control bench. Caitlin leapt out of the way of his rage. She did not fancy losing an eye – especially if he pulled out his blender-sword. "I will break the tie and be your leader, by force, if necessary!" he added, laser-eying Rattrap to crash into a lift to the side.

Caitlin huddled closer to the communication console, wary as invisible sparks of tension flickered from dull growl to a thundering roar. Then, she heard a comforting and familiar voice: "Maximals come in! Are you receiving? Maximal Command Base, this is Optimus!" Silence followed the transmission, the five stunned into silence and relief.

'_Oh, dear sweet Primus and the ever-loving joy of wondrous life, it's good to hear your voice, Optimus,' _Caitlin thought. "Optimus!" she breathed out loud, relieved: and pressed the button to allow her to talk to him. "Optimus, this is Caitlin. Where are you?" she demanded with a wry chuckle, "You cannot imagine the degree of temper-tantrums I'm having to deal with here…. And what does being probed feel like?" Ok, ok, but she just _had_ to ask.

She heard a chuckle in reply, but knew that the rat and raptor were glaring at her behind her back. "Awkward. How is everyone over there?"

"Fighting over who will lead in your absence… as one would expect," she replied dryly. "It's not… hurting you, is it?" she added softly, almost hesitantly.

"Hard to say," Optimus replied. "As near as I can figure, I-I have no body. My consciousness is intact, but my physical molecular structure is being stored and scanned inside the alien probe."_ 'Yeah,' _Caitlin sniggered, _'Talk about being probed to the deep end… I've gotta get my mind outta the gutter.'_

"We'll come an' get cha!" Rattrap exclaimed, moving Caitlin out of the way. She glared sideways at him, since he'd touched her ribs, but said nothing. Moving away, she leant against the wall and began to calm her breathing. "Just keep static!"

"Just beware of Predacon attack; they'll be after you; now that you're outnumbered. Rattrap! You're in charge!" Three votes Rattrap. Two Dinobot. It's a win for the rat! Caitlin just had to chuckle as Dinobot glared at the smug rat as Optimus added: "I'm sure you worked out the chain-of-command peacefully."

"Yeah, _real_ peaceful," Caitlin drawled with a roll of her eyes.

Suddenly-a missile hit the side of the Axalon's shields. The shocks vibrated through the ship.

Cheetor then did what the cat did best, point out the obvious: "You're right about one thing, anyway. We're under Predacon attack!"

"Who else were ya expecting? King Kong?" Caitlin quipped. In punishment, Dinobot whacked her over the head slightly. She glared up at him in reply, but turned to Rattrap when the raptor turned to stare the rat down, obviously mocking him. '_Oh boy_,' she thought with a droll stare to the ceiling. '_Here goes.'_

"Well, _Commander_? What are your orders?"

Caitlin didn't stick around to find out. Amidst the chaos, she hummed thoughtfully to herself. Nodding, she spun on her heel, grabbed her weapons off the fallen control panel (which they'd somehow managed to stick on to) and made her way towards the opposite exit – before anyone noticed she'd disappeared. Tip-toeing around the battle, she glanced at it, and saw that Vincent wasn't there. He was probably already at the probe. One more glance back showed that Dinobot was fighting Megatron. She cheered him on in her head, while hoping they fared alright as she slunk towards the probe.

_'I soo hope I don't die for this,_' she hoped. '_My second battle, my ribs are sore… and I'm being an idiot. Bah, who cares? At least I ain't being a damsel.'_

* * *

"Interesting," Caitlin murmured, circling around the probe. She'd found no evidence of Vincent or any other Predacon. Thank you luck! "Now all I have to do is wait for the guys to get here… That's _if_ they get here before the Preds do," she added in a dull tone and then sighed heavily and threw up her hands. "_Man_ do I love my optimism!" She sighed heavily, reclining against the rock platform beneath the probe. It was mighty similar to the designs the Vok's used…

"Is that you Caitlin?" she heard Optimus' voice ask.

"You can hear me from in there?" Caitlin asked, surprised. She had _not_ seen that coming.

"Yes," Optimus replied. "And what are you doing here without the others?" he demanded, the disappointment and worry clear in his voice.

"Saving my own skin by taking a suicidal-seeming front at the probe, which contains your molecular structure. And waiting for both the Predacons and Maximals to show until you get out of there. Where you'll make an appearance and save the day like any stereotypical hero-moment," she replied matter-of-factly in one breathe in a blank tone.

She contained her smirk when she felt Optimus' blank stare, even without his body. "Have you lost your mind?"

"Once or twice," she replied seriously. "But, not recently, no. It's given up on me and has pleaded contemporary insanity for all those who ask while it's away."

"Somehow, I don't doubt that," Optimus replied gravelly – and Caitlin fell into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

* * *

Caitlin instantly stood up when she noticed the others arrive. Cocking her head in mute surprise, she was impressed. Rattrap was actually leading quite well. However, she didn't think he was one to keep authority in good hands, even his own. Then, the rat was upon her. "How'd you get here?"

"Back door," She replied. "Though, now that you're all here… Megatron's gang will be on their merry way here with ill-intentions combined-with a noisy assault that hurts like a bitch if you get shot by it."

"I don't know if this thing is going to work," Rhinox admitted. He played with a contraption he'd strapped to his wrist. "But it's as ready as it's ever going to be."

Rattrap sniffed the air. "Nehh, too quiet here. I thought for sure that the Predacons would be making for the probe."

"I feel like we're being watched," Caitlin added, shivering slightly as a cold chill ran down her spine.

"HA!" Megatron exclaimed. "Excellent prediction, Commander Rattrap… and I must also commemorate you as well, Caitlin," he added with a leer her way. Although that leer held only promises of excruciating pain on her person, and it worked in making her feel uncomfortable.

"Nice to know I flitter in your thoughts," she drawled uncaringly while her insides squirmed, her blood cold.

"Let's see how you fair, in the battlefield," Megatron added, almost sneering.

Caitlin sneered at his tone. "No thanks. I'm the weak, helpless and defenseless human female in this," she retorted. "I would be rather _weak_ of you to take advantage of that. However," she added shrewdly, "From what I've seen and heard… You don't _care_ how low below the belt you hit, so long as you win." Snorting, she cocked her weapon and aimed at him. "Now, I'm not a good shot. Then again, I could _always_ shoot and hope that _one_ of the bullets hits something vital. You're a very _big_ target, after all. I'm bound to hit something... _eventually_." With that, she fired. Megatron had to dance out of the way of speeding bullets like a ballerina… The mental image of Megatron in a pink tutu – with added fairy wings, tiara, ballet shoes and wand – almost made her lose concentration. But, she somehow managed to stifle it down and continue firing.

"Rhinox!" Rattrap yelled over the commotion. "Get Optimus out of that probe!"

Suddenly, Caitlin found herself being lifted in the air. Twisting around, she growled at Terrorsaur as he smirked into her face. His chest-plated dug into her cracked ribs. She flicked out with her boot—sending a dagger there, to lash out and sink into his thigh. With an ear-splitting screech, Terrorsaur dropped her.

In a panic, she could only concentrate on the ground and thought: '_Flying's easy… All you have to do is aim for the ground, and miss! Fat lot of good that does me!' _

She threw out her arms, but… then she found herself slowing. But, she didn't stop completely… She landed in a heap on the ground, right in front of Tarantulas, who'd seen the entire thing. She glared up at the tarantula and fired three consecutive shots at his chest plate. He was sent flying backwards into Scorponok—sending them skidding backwards in an awkward heap.

_'Well shit!'_ she thought, stunned_. 'I actually hit the bastard!'_

"Optimus, can you hear me?" Rhinox asked the probe.

"Loud and clear, big guy," Optimus replied.

"I'm going to try to extract you."

Caitlin groaned as she managed to stand up. She watched, wide-eyed, as Megatron gestured for Waspinator to do something. Then, his optics landed on her position, which was right out in the open. She was a distance away from the others, between two stone pillars: in clean sight. She felt a flicker of fear strike through her. Her rib cage twinged painfully as her breathing became laboured as she panicked. Megatron smirked at the sight, but then: it disappeared when Caitlin froze then returned it. In the blink of an eye, she seemed to shoot into the air, switch directions and landed on the other side of the probe. She ducked behind Dinobot. There was no time for him to ponder about it as she calmed herself. But, he labelled the occasion and filed it somewhere in the back of his mind, and continued his assault.

"It's not working!" Rhinox stressed and then looked around. "Hm. This whole area is surrounded by radiation from the probe. Like this whole place is a single device…" Caitlin turned around. She saw Waspinator sneaking up on Rhinox. She was about to shout a warning, when, with wry amusement: she got to watch as one of Rhinox's deadly guns turned to him. Waspinator only got to gulp once in fear, before Rhinox fired, propelling the wasp backwards with each hit. Finally, the Pred landed against a stone pillar, sending a strange colour flickering over the surface. "Hey!" the rhino exclaimed. "This place _is_ a single device!"

Caitlin watched as the stones glowed white-blue. She shivered as she felt a telltale sign of something like electricity race through the air. It was strangely familiar, and then suddenly a heroic ape said: "Look whose back… and feeling Prime!"

_'That is so cliché,'_ she couldn't help but think as Optimus shot each Predacon down, before he landed between them all. She rolled her eyes, but smiled landed between Rhinox and Rattrap.

"Way to go Optimus! Welcome back!" Cheetor exclaimed, enthused and happy the ape was back, for obvious reasons.

"The day, and the probe, is yours Optimus, yes," Megatron said gruffly, but left with a: "Just beware… not all aliens are beneficent, after all."

Cocking her eyebrow at him, Caitlin scoffed "Is that including you?" she quipped. Megatron glared at the human girl, who simply smirked at him, before he walked away. "I'll take that as a yes," she smirked, chucking. Then winced, grabbing her ribs. _'Who knew that'd hurt so badly.'_

"Rattrap, you commanded well in my absence," Optimus said, drawing her attention to them.

"Commands' a pain in the tail, especially with this pack of hyena's… You can keep it."

"Thought so," Caitlin muttered. Feeling eyes on her, she turned and found Dinobot cocking an enquiring eyebrow at her. "Rattrap's the type to dislike authority, even if he's the one given the orders," she said, shrugging at his questioning stare and turned back to Optimus.

"I'm more concerned with this alien probe, right now."

Then, it started to fade away as if it had never been there. Only Caitlin glared at it, spying a familiar ball of light flash away in the corner of her eyes…

"What the spotted heck-was that all about?" Cheetor asked, looking around in confusion. And he wasn't the only one.

"They obviously didn't want to disclose who they were," she offered, arms folded, head turned downwards as her eyes narrowed on a point ahead of her.

"I don't know," Optimus replied. "I guess they found out what they needed to know about us."

"Yes," Rhinox said. "They know we have destructive capability… and reasoning power."

"So to speak," Caitlin muttered to herself as she began to walk away.

"But _why_ would they _want_ to know?" Dinobot asked, "And more importantly, _who_ are they? Friends, enemies... or something more?"

"Good question, I wonder when we'll find out the answer" Optimus said, musingly.

"Famous last words" Caitlin said, and then turned around to see that Optimus had turned to her.

"Why do you say that?" he asked.

Caitlin's eyes narrowed, before she turned her gaze to the skies. "It's nothing" she replied tonelessly. "Just a wry thought."

"Something tells me you know more about it then you're letting on," Optimus said, folding his arms over his chest, staring at her intensely.

She turned to catch his gaze and turned away. "Perhaps I do, perhaps I don't. I have my own questions that I desire the answers to, but I've learnt that the more you desire it, the more it turns out to be something you had never wished for."

Suddenly, Caitlin was gripped in two large arms. She could only stare, half in shock as Optimus pulled up her shirt to reveal that her cracked ribs were now bleeding. She'd also managed to cut herself a few times on something. The ape's glare was ferocious: "YOU SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON THE SHIP!"

Caitlin simply smiled in reply and shook her head. "If you think Dinobot, Rattrap and Cheetor can be stubborn, you have _no idea_ just how bad I can be," she replied wryly. She coughed harshly into her hands. "Besides," she breathed. "With the base being shot at, I figured the safest place would have been at the probe... Guess I was mistaken..."

"You're an idiot, girl!" Rattrap exclaimed and then blinked. "I forgot all about your cracked rib!"

"I'm good at hiding the fact that I'm hurt." Caitlin replied, smirking at him, shrugging. "A double-edged sword, as a matter of fact."

"Rhinox will carry you to base. I order—"

"I don't take orders!" Caitlin yelled, and then whimpered as she clutched her ribcage, falling to her knees as the pain maximised. Optimus hurried over to her, but flinched backwards when a burst of flames appeared out of nowhere and lashed out. Caitlin glanced up, staring wide-eyed at the fire before her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She collapsed, unconscious at his feet, leaving dead silence in her wake.

* * *

"What was _that_ all about?" Cheetor asked as Optimus gently placed Caitlin on top of Rhinox's back.

"I have no idea," Optimus replied thoughtfully. "I guess the reality of her situation has suddenly hit her, or maybe it's something else."

"But where did that fire come from?" Rhinox asked as he started to move slowly, careful not to jar the unconscious female on his back.

"That is something that only Caitlin can tell us," Optimus replied, glancing at the girl.

"She did that before," Rattrap said. "When she was angry at me and Chopperface while we was fightin' over who'd lead."

"Is that true?" Optimus asked.

"Affirmative, I saw it myself," Dinobot replied, nodding sharply.

Optimus looked over at the strange girl, who was much more than she appeared to be. "Let's go home," he said.

Hastily, they returned home, careful of the precarious cargo that Rhinox carried on his back.


	5. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4: "Power Surge"**_

When Caitlin regained consciousness: she felt a rush of "_Oh Shit, I Don't Feel Good_" and "_OH Dear Lord! Turn Out Those Lights For Mercy's Sake!_"

Groaning, feeling quite ill – and sore considering that her complaining ribs had kicked a pain surge that made breathing a bit difficult, showing their displeasure. Had there been a conference, she had the image of at two or three ribs shaking papers at the brain. Yeah, she needed to get out more. Where to, however, was the question. Forcing herself to sit up, she gingerly swung her legs to the side. Planting her feet on the ground, she carefully stood and reached for her bag. She needed to clean the wound. She knew just the place. She'd found a hot spring some time ago on a walk when she'd been bored (a common occurrence). It was a nice distance from the Maximal base, a little bit towards the mountains. There, she'd found a reasonably hot, natural fresh spring. Every so often she'd taken trips there and clean herself up.

She needed another visit. She could only do so much with cold water from a lake. And there was always a chance of Predacons (Waspinator and Terrorsaur in particular patrolled that area). Or, there was always the occasional croc or other natural predators. But, she figured that, in light of recent events, it'd be less than like she'd be allowed to go.

So, she had to sneak out of room. And so she did, careful to keep her breathing even. She made it to the Control Room, when she heard a: "Ahem!" – and experienced the pain of whiplash as she spun about to come face-to-face… with Rattrap. He folded his arms, tapping against his forearm. "And _where_ do ya think you're goin'?"

She stood rooted to the spot. Her eyes flicked every which way, except at the rodent. "Out," she replied simply and continued her march to the lift, this time, making no effort to keep quiet.

"_Where_ to?" Dinobot asked, appearing suddenly beside her.

_'When the hell did he get there?' _Caitlin thought, taking another step backwards. "Outside."

"Why?" Rattrap asked, stepping to Dinobot's side as they joined in on grouping around her.

_'Oh yeah… NOW they decide is the perfect time to team up!'_ She snorted, taking another step backwards. "Because I _want_ to."

"And _why_ do you want to?" Dinobot asked with another step forwards, looming over her impressively.

She held her ground and bit out: "Because I do." She stepped back, sending them a heated glare. "End of discussion!" she snapped and disappeared down the light.

Rattrap and Dinobot were taken aback. They could only watch as Caitlin disappeared when Rhinox appeared behind them, amused. "I believe she wants to be left alone."

"Well, she shouldn' be walkin' around with that cracked rib o' 'ers!" Rattrap snapped. He grabbed his gun where he'd left it and headed to the lift.

Dinobot was already waiting. He looked over at Rattrap, cocking an eyebrow. "Hurry up, rodent. She's becoming faster much faster than even I have given her credit for," he growled. He tapped his claws against his forearm impatiently, watching Rattrap take his time telling Rhinox not to say anything about this to Optimus.

"Comin' Chopperface!" Rattrap replied.

* * *

Caitlin halted in her steps. _'Oh, come on!'_ Instantly spinning on her heel, she folded her arms and caught Dinobot and Rattrap following behind her. She caught them before they could hide behind a tree. At any other moment, she'd have laughed at the sight. As it was… "Is there any particular reason as to _why_ you two following me?" she asked, tapping her nails impatiently on her forearms. She cocked her brow, waiting for them to reply.

"It wouldn't be above Megatron to capture you – while you are in a vulnerable state," Dinobot replied gruffly. "We must make sure that you are not captured by the enemy."

Caitlin stared at him, blank-faced. "If I didn't know any better, Chopperface… I'd say you were worried about me."

The raptor reeled back at the implication, before snarling: "I am simply making sure that you are safe because you are the weakest of the team. And… as you have no doubt, realised: _you_ could be used as a bargaining ship!"

She cocked a brow, refusing to acknowledge the pain that twigged in her heart. One of her secret weaknesses was to be considered weak by others – or to be assumed as such. Either one assumption hurt and fuelled the voices in her head that often led her into a fit of self worthlessness. She shook her head and sauntered with a flippant retort. "_Whatever_ you say…."

"So, what _are_ you doin' outta bed, Caitlin?" the rat asked, following closed behind her. "You should be restin'. Not goin' out on midnight excursions!"

Caitlin wheeled around so suddenly, Rattrap almost crashed into her. But, he caught himself just before he did. But, the sudden movement startled him, instigating his more instinctive survival instincts (or programming as they called it)—and scurried back three steps. Her brow cocked and the rat had the sudden impression this girl could be a whole lot more dangerous than he thought.

Then, the moment was gone. She stepped backwards, flinching slightly. She sighed and tilted her head back, imploring the heavens for divine help. "I intend to clean my wound at a hot-spring I found once while on a walk," she explained. The words were spoken in that reluctant tone you spoke when you really didn't want to share some knowledge. "Unlike you robots," she added snidely; her mouth twisting into a contemptuous sneer. "I have to continuously clean the wound, or it'll get infected and become worse. I can't just jump into the CR Chamber—and expect to be healed right off the bat… But by Golly, I wish I could!"

Rattrap and Dinobot froze at the explanation, and they each reacted flustered in their different way.

Dinobot, refused to meet her gaze, but Rattrap… "So, you're going for a bath then?" he asked, his voice only slightly betraying his nervousness.

"Yes," she replied plainly, cocking her brow and turned away. "And I would _prefer_ if you didn't follow me while I bathe."

"No worries, kid!" Rattrap exclaimed. "We'll stay far away while you're… cleaning…"

"I feel _so_ much comfort from hearing **_a rat_** say that…" she drawled and picked up her pace, her mood officially turning sour.

When they had finally reached the place where Caitlin had found the hot spring, she turned to the two mechs. "You two stay on _this side_ of the cliff!" she snapped. "If one microscopic miniscule part of you breaches that point-I will _personally_ reschedule your rosters so that you have to work with each other _every day_! Capiche?!"

Dinobot and Rattrap nodded in understanding, staying put behind the cliff.

She hurried further along until she came to the hot-spring, situated behind a small platform, which would hide her from view. She growled, hearing the telltale wrestling match between her supposed-to-be-because-they-volunteered bodyguards. She leapt in with her clothe still attached, dunking her head beneath the scalding water. Then, she removed the bandages from her side and inspected the damage on her ribs. It _did not_ look pretty. With a hiss, she slid further into the water, figuring she might as well wash the closes she had on.

Deciding she might as well, she used her telekinetic ability to rummage through her bag. It was like having invisible arms and hands that stretched outwards and grasped things. She'd figured this out accidentally when she'd been trying to reach some banana's that had just been out of her reach. She had gone as far as she could physically climb that tree, but they had still been out of reach. So frustrated she'd become, she'd managed to unlock a trigger within her mind. It ended up with her falling to the ground: still grasping a whole bunch of bananas with the branch still attached. Finally, she found some soap and a new pair of clothes.

She sent a silent thank you to the Vok for keeping her cleansing supply. But, she'd have to use it sparingly, especially for moments such as these.

Gingerly, she soaped her wound, careful not to irritate it too much. She took her time. She found a lot of bruises and scrapes she hadn't realised she had: and she was adamant she wouldn't receive any more. She would work on her reflexes… but she _really_ didn't want to ask Dinobot to throw boulders at her to dodge… Sighing, she realised she'd spent at least ten minutes just washing herself. In hazardous territory. She quickly dipped herself under the water and leapt out. Grabbing her towel, she quickly dried herself before wrapping some more bandages haphazardly, but firmly, around her waist. Redressing quickly, she packed up her stuff and headed back to where she'd left the mechs…

The two, were once again (and unsurprisingly) fighting. Except this time they were using their fists.

'_An interesting switch… Even with Rattrap's size compared to Dinobot's… it's hard to tell who's winning… and who's loosing.'_

After a few moments of simply watching the scene (and wanting some popcorn), she pulled out her gun.

She cocked it, aimed at a stone, pulled the trigger: and the stone hit Dinobot in the head, bouncing against Rattrap's once. Then, similar to a bouncy-ball from a cartoon: it bounced back and forth between them before finally falling to the ground. It seemed to say, '_I'm Innocent!'_ in what had transpired. Pointing the gun to the air, she cocked her hip and placed her free hand on it.

Dinobot and Rattrap instantly turned to face the human female. She looked at them with a stare that plainly said: _'Are you both quite finished?' _Her eyebrows cocked mockingly as she spun her gun languidly between her fingers. "When you two are quite finished with your lovers' spat, I think we should get going," she drawled and stalked towards them, her backpack slung over her shoulder.

"I thought females took longer to bathe themselves," Rattrap mused, stepping to the side as Caitlin stalked past him.

She replied with an unladylike snort. "I'm not like other females," she glared. "Besides… It's not as if I want to stay out here for longer than necessary. Though, I won't lie… It would be nice to take a bath in peace and just relax…" She gave a sigh of want and need, and fell silent.

Dinobot remained silent on the walk back. He noticed her tiring and slowing down. She took to staring up at the sky wistfully. Rattrap also noticed and shared a glance with the raptor. A silent conversation took place between the two mechs, unnoticed by Caitlin. Then, they nodded and turned away. They had just agreed on a mutual subject: and it was quite awkward that this human female was the cause of that.

Neither would admit to (to themselves or anyone else): they had become quite fond of the strange human female.

* * *

The next day, Caitlin was in an _extremely_ bad mood. Why? The answer was purely simple: she was a _female_. Frankly, she was pissed off that there were no other females amongst the Maximals. And at this point, she didn't care if a female appeared on the _Predacon_ side. Then again, she didn't think robots and humans were the same in everything. She wondered how they reproduced, but, when she really thought about it – she really didn't _want_ to know. At all.

Releasing a sigh, she stood from her bed and looked down… By the Pits, she was glad she'd chosen to sleep in her own room last night. She was going to be spending a lot of time in the water. Especially in places where there were not piranhas, crocodiles… or any other predator for that matter. Beast, bot, or otherwise. Then, the door opened (she needed to find a damn lock!) "Are you alight Cai… YOU'RE **_BLEEDING_**!" Cheetor exclaimed, staring down at the blood beneath her. It wasn't even that much!

Flushing red, she promptly desired to bang her head against the wall. Quickly, she grabbed his cheetah-face between her hands. "I'M _FINE_ CHEETOR!" she yelled once she'd finally managed to calm him down. Once he was, she awkwardly told him about female biology. When she was finished explaining, Cheetor had become more and more embarrassed until his entire fur seemed bright red—Suddenly the door opened, revealing Rattrap and Dinobot. Thankfully, Cheetor took to standing in front of her, shielding her lower-half from view. But, she was, at this point-_Pissed_! "GET OUT!" she roared – throwing everything in range at the mechs, but they all just dodged.

_'Bloody. Fuckin'. Dammit!'_

"We can smell blood," The rat said when she'd stopped to find something a little further away (the chair). "We were worried."

"I'M FINE!" she snarled. "JUST GET OUT! GET-OUT! GET-OUT! **GET OUT**!" The things she threw now were heavier. Later, she would realise she'd had been throwing some objects with her telekinesis (but she would never remember if the Maximals knew this or not. They would never approach her on it. They were all too busy dodging.)

Then, a familiar face appeared behind the others. "What's wrong?" Optimus asked, looking at the destruction. Caitlin, spent, groaned and rubbed at her hip as his eyes turned to her. The ape shifted his gaze to where she slept and then back at the irate-and-pained looking human female. "Rhinox," he told the rhino who'd happened upon the scene, "Take Cheetor out and get something to wash the berth." Caitlin face flamed up even more at that. "Rattrap, go and get something to eat. And Dinobot, grab Caitlin and bring her to my room."

Caitlin instantly flared up at that. So caught in her anger, flames flickered in her hands as her eyes flashed in annoyance. Whether anyone realised this or not, they surprisingly said nothing. Though, one would have thought they'd have pointed it out. She growled as Dinobot made to march towards her. "Nah-uh! There's _no way_ you're dragging me!" she snarled. "I'll walk!" She barged past the raptor, sending him flying into the wall (even though, he remained on his feet. Pity…) The raptor noticed her fists clenched. Her eyes were hardened into a: '_Don't mess with me or I'll kill you!_' glare. She was stiff, but with repressed anger or pain, he wasn't sure.

When they arrived in Optimus' quarters, the ape folded his arms over his chest. He looked at Caitlin pointedly. But, she wasn't looking at him. She was glaring at point on the wall—then suddenly exploded. Flames flared around her for a nano-click as she raised her arms in a way to show her anger. "Fine, fine!' she snapped. "I'm menstruating! The curse of being a female!"

"And… what is that, exactly?" Dinobot asked, confused as to what she meant.

Caitlin folded her arms, careful of her ribs, and glowered at the raptor. Then, she marched towards him and began to circle him. Dinobot kept frozen in place. Suddenly, he was wary of the small, 5-foot-7-and-a-bit female. "Imagine having two serrated knives being shoved into these two points," she growled. She poked into two areas exactly where she was hurting on Dinobot—hard enough that he got the message—right on the hips of her lower back. "Continuously turning, and _then_! Imagine having that for five days… _at least_. Also-on top of that, you find out you'll leak from where you never thought you could. And this… can least for, at the most: FIVE DAYS **_EVERY MONTH_**!"

Removing herself from Dinobot's side, she kicked Optimus' chair. The ape stepped forward to stop her, but was too late as it bounced off the wall—and hit Dinobot in the shin. She cursed under her breathe irritable, while Optimus was hard pressed not to burst out laughing. Dinobot was wary and wide-eyed as he watched Caitlin disappear through the door, fuming.

"_Every…_ month?" Dinobot asked in no one in particular, and gulped.

Optimus was also quite wary as he leant to pick up his chair. He wondered how anyone survived a female human's wrath, which, according to his studies, could be a sight to behold. Hey, even a Predacon might not survive an encounter with a hormonal female with a very limited patience and temper!

* * *

Caitlin stormed back into the Control Room, her backpack strapped to her back—a medical kit in her hands.

Rattrap, Cheetor and Rhinox spared her only questioning glances; but the death glare they received had them jumping back to being: 'Busy'. Huffily, she disappeared down the lift, unaccompanied. When she'd gone, Rattrap turned back around. He noticed a smirking Optimus who led a bewildered, wary Dinobot behind him into the room. "For the next five days," the ape suggested warningly. "I would suggest that no one; and _I mean_ _no one_, annoy Caitlin."

"I can't believe human females have to go through that… What was it?" Cheetor asked, still bewildered and freaked out. "Menstruation cycle?"

Dinobot looked pained at the mere mentioning of it. Immediately, he stalked towards the lift. "I will be taking my patrol," he said as he disappeared.

"The history records didn't mention it all that much either," Optimus mused. "I think the Autobots were wary of human females, back in the day."

Cheetor nodded, and headed off to go exploring. _Anything_ to distract him from what he'd just learnt!

* * *

She'd just arrived at neutral territory. It held no Energon for either side. It was considered simply as a tourist attraction, for the most part. It did, however, have another hot spring she'd found to be free from Predacon interference; and again, for the most part. She'd once been found by Waspinator while he'd been out on a sugar binge. The area contained his favourite fruit to get '_high'_ on. There were: _mangoes_, as surprising as it were. There were also some apple trees. This pace was where she usually gained her fruit when she was hungry. Since both she and the wasp liked the area, they'd come to an agreement some weeks away. If he left her alone, she'd let him have his sugar binge. In return, she'd leave him alone and not shoot him down. Waspinator had agreed and she'd taken full advantage of the fact that today was her day for the hot spring.

She'd be needed the hot spring a lot more now that she was having her: '_Homicidal-Bitch-Maniac'_ month, as her family had often dubbed it in times past. Well, in fact, that was her more polite title during her cycle. She'd once been a psychopath from a psychiatrist when she'd been menstruating during a session in the early stages. Then the cycle had ended. She returned to her "_normal_" self; and the psychiatrist had been ashamed, and retired. She still thought he blamed her for killing his career.

…A psychopath indeed…

Rummaging through her bag, she found a pack of female essentials. She thanked her foresight for packing three packs—and even went on to thank whatever deity existed for small mercies. She hadn't thought she had any. Sighing, she stripped off her clothing. Her ribs were still tender when she poked them. Shaking her head, she strode into the hot spring and closed her eyes in pleasure as she sat down. The hot water was doing wonders for her lower back. _'Oh, sweet, sweet heaven. I have found you!'_

She was going to be staying here for the entire day.

If her peace was disturbed, she would not be happy, no.

What she didn't know, however, was that her peaceful day….

Was _not_ going to relaxing at all…

May whatever God there be have mercy on their souls!

* * *

Vincent glared over at Terrorsaur. The featherless bird had taken him on another flight, blabbering away about: Megatron _this_ and Megatron _that_. It was enough to do his head in while they were flying through the twilight sky. A headache had mercilessly pounded at him, growing with each syllable the blasted Predacon whined. Suddenly, Terrorsaur spotted an area that held a lot of fruit trees. Without any waring, he swerved down. Vincent was forced to hold on, but then they landed. He was surprised to find that the chick, Caitlin, was sitting with her eyes closed in a hot spring. _'My, my. What do we have here?'_

It seemed that she hadn't noticed them. Vincent couldn't let this opportunity go. Oh _no_! "Well," he spoke up and leant against the hot spring. He smirked as her eyes opened with a snap. She almost gave him a nice view of her upper chest, but sadly, she realised her current position, and stayed low in the water. Pity.

Caitlin's eyes took on a dangerous edge that Vincent found reminiscent of a certain tyrant that he knew… "Vincent," she growled, eyes narrowed on him intently.

He chuckled. "Well, well, well," he repeated, highly amused. "It seems the Princess is _finally_ without her escorts and body-guards."

"So, you acknowledge that I'm far superior to you?" she quipped, leaning backwards; her eyes half-closed as she glanced at the sneaking pterodactyl at her side.

"Leave the girly alone, Terrorsaur," Vincent ordered, sending the coward a warning glare. His only one. "I just want to talk to her. I don't think you need me to tell you that, if you tell anyone about this… I'll make sure that word gets back to Megatron about each and everyone one of your complaints."

Terrorsaur glared at the male human, but turned away and headed for the sky. "Call me when you're ready to return," he grumbled. He knew Megatron would be less than displeased (positively enraged, actually) if he didn't return with Vincent to the base. This meant he had to stay close by. But, not close enough to hear what he had to say to the little human female.

"Of course," Vincent dismissed him, hardly looking at him as he kept his eyes on the appealing naked female before him. She stared at him from behind dark eyelashes, one arm slung over the side of the hot-spring. He got the feeling that one of her legs was crossed over the other… Once Terrorsaur was gone, he began to move forward. But, when he blinked: he heard the familiar sound of a gun clicking in readiness to fire.

Opening his eyes after a moment, he found Caitlin with a gun in her hands. She was aiming right at him, eyebrow cocked in challenge. "If you're here to talk, stay over there," she told him conversationally. "Any closer, and I might have to discredit your waste of molecules—and send them to where it can be put to use… Feeding the soil."

Glaring, he took a few steps back. "Is this satisfactory?" he asked, sneering.

"I would find _it extremely satisfying_ if you weren't within a two-mile radius of me," she drawled casually. "But that isn't possible, it seems." She inclined her head and stared at him. Her neck was bared to him slightly and she watched with dark amusement as his eyes hungrily scanned whatever he could see. She could tell he was _extremely_ pleased by what he saw.

Sighing, Vincent sat down against a boulder. "So," he asked, seemingly honest in his curiosity. "Did the Vok tell you anything other than the fact that you're a Maximal?"

"I thought I was simply your competition that was a girl," Caitlin mused wryly.

Vincent smirked, "There's that, but I want to know. Besides, you'll probably give me a better conversation than the Preds would. Megatron's the better conversationalist, but he's quite overbearingly ambitious and double-edged. Terrorsaur complains about Megatron. Scorponok talks only about Megatron. Waspinator goes on and on about nothing and Tarantulas creeps me out… and I ain't ashamed to say it."

"Forgive me if I don't find your reasons for talking to me, noteworthy," Caitlin drawled, bored. She twirled her gun in her hand, staring at him with a face that Vincent could only dream of. Heck! Megatron didn't have that good of a poker-face.

"I had to get rid of Terrorsaur, somehow," he shrugged, then smirked saucily. "Besides, I can't deny… I'm enjoying the view." Caitlin cocked her brow. For a moment, she said and did nothing. Then-quick as lightning-Vincent found himself tripped over by a whip of water. Blinking, he got to his feet and turned around. He found Caitlin in a black towel, crouched on a rock in such a way; he couldn't take a sneak pack as the water curled around her like a snake. A darkly-amused smirk flitted on her lips as her eyes gleamed. "Wanna play that way?" he growled, furious that he'd been caught off guard. He showed her his guns, a mad glint in his eyes.

"Oh, but honey," she purred. "We were already playing."

Then, she raised her arms. The water reared back, forming a snake-like body and shape as it reared behind her. She lashed out with her arms and the "_snakes_" shot towards him before he had any time to react. And then… she began to laugh. A dark, husky and rich sound she saved solely for those she despised.

* * *

Dinobot, currently, was heading into neutral territory. He was, at this time, unaware that he was heading where Caitlin was battling with Vincent after having her bath interrupted. He was still amazed at the fact she could be so ferocious. His opinion of her character was that she was a kind, warm-hearted girl. She was almost always calm, usually clear-headed. He'd gotten these assumptions from what he'd seen of her. He also had learnt she could be quite decisive, thoughtfully cunning and yet impulsive and brash at the same time.

He scratched his chin with his claws, thinking over the different ways in which Caitlin presented herself. He tried to figure out her base character, and was left thoroughly confused. There was no simple answer for him to grasp on. She showed many characteristics of Maximal programming, but there were times he often considered her Predacon…

Then, his thoughts were interrupted when he entered a clearing.

He was met with a processor-numbing vision of Caitlin clad only in a black towel.

Her arms were raised into the sky—propelling water-snakes at her sides, followed the movement straight towards the human male in front of her.

He decided that he would watch – Just to see what she would do.

* * *

Caitlin smirked when she caught Vincent with her attack, but she didn't fall for his bluff as he lay motionless on the ground. Instead, she placed a hand over the steaming water of the hot spring. With a grunt, she managed to lift it up and threw the entire body of water on top of the human Predacon. This caused him to jump up, screaming profanities. He obviously preferred hot showers, she thought, before he pinned her with a glare.

"You will pay for that, you bitch!" he growled, fire fanning out between his fingertips.

She watched, transfixed as the fire grew – then he threw the fireball at her face.

Promptly, she stepped to the side, dodging. She flipped out her second gun and fired, clipping him in the shoulder. Damn! She'd been aiming for the middle of his eyes!

"Who's the bitch now?" she smirked as he gave a strangled yelp. She aimed the gun again, only to have another fireball thrown at her. She dodged it, but when she turned back to face him: she turned to the skies to find him being carried away by Waspinator. _Coward_! "COWARD!" she roared her opinion to the skies. "GET BACK DOWN HERE AND FIGHT ME LIKE A MAN!" Her only reply was the flipping of the bird. Folding her arms, she glowered; torn between amusement and irritation. "I despise men who run from a female who beats them at her own game! Oh well… Guess I can nab a fight outta him, another time."

Then, a twig snapped. She froze, then snatched her gun and spun around. She fired at the sound, only to find herself pinned to the ledge of the now-empty hot spring. A massive form hovered over her, locking her wrists effortlessly above her head. "Your next lesson will be to sense your surroundings. If I were a Predacon, you would have already been shot," the growling, familiar voice of Dinobot came from above.

Caitlin promptly blushed as she peered up at the raptor, straining against his hold. "If you don't mind, could you please let go of me?" she asked. He released her and stepped backwards, allowing room for her as she scurried away to her backpack with her clean clothes. Then, she paused. He was still watching her. "You do know it's rude to stare at a female while she's in a towel, right?" she asked tersely, glaring at him over her shoulder.

He glared right back. "I didn't see you complaining about that while Vincent was here," he growled in reply, folding his arms.

She gritted her teeth and almost growled at him. Marching at him, she poked him in the chest—and noticed she'd hit his shoulder with her shot. "Wow! I _actually_ hit you!" she exclaimed. Dinobot looked down where she'd run her finger over his shoulder. She blinked up at him, remembering her previous goal. "If you had not realised, Chopperface," she growled, using Rattrap's term for the irate raptor. "I was fighting the bastard off. You, however, have no reason to be barging in when I'm not decent. Now, why don't you go patrol a little further along? I'll scream if there's a Predacon, if you're so worried. But the only Predacon that really comes here most of the time, is Waspinator. And we have an agreement of leaving each other along here. He gets days where he can eat his sugar. And I get days to bathe or wash my clothing!"

"You have an alliance with Waspinator?" Dinobot exclaimed. His hand whipped out, grabbed her forearm and brought her eye level to him.

She glared in reply, unfazed. She refused to wince at his hold. "_Only here_!" she hissed. "After shooting him outta tha sky, I asked his reason for comin' here. Waspiantor told me, and I made him agree that he can eat here freely, as long as he leaves me alone on certain days," she explained. "That's _all there is to it!"_

"What if he brings another Predacon like he did then?" Dinobot snapped, trying to get her to see reason. He grabbed her shoulders and lifted her up, forcing her closer towards him, chest-to-chest, eyes burning in anger… and was that a hint of being impressed and concerned for her well being?

Holy Banana Milkshake Mixed With Chocolate Truffle!

She rolled her eyes. "_Terrorsaur_ brought himself, and Vincent, here. _Not_ Waspinator. Besides, _if_ he ever did so—I blow up the fruit tree and he as to find another one. He likes these ones, _a lot_, so he won't. I can also shoot him down if he brings company. _See_? I'm practically covered. So, can you _please_ leave? I'm almost ready to come home anyways!"

Dinobot didn't reply, but stared down into her bright, determined, hazel eyes. She stared back. Then, before it began to get awkward, he exhaled a puff of air and released her. He turned on his heel and didn't look back as he stormed off. As she watched him disappear, she wondered what had just occurred. He'd been impressed, to say the least. She could understand that (she was impressed with herself as well), but why the concern? He was a Predacon-turned Maximal. Why the concern for a simple, weak human?

The headache decided for her, that she would not think more on it. Otherwise, she'd just get depressed. Hastily, she dressed in a sleeveless shirt and quarter pants. She was tying her boot laces, when she heard a familiar, annoying hum. She looked into the sky and noticed that Waspinator was making another appearance. This time, he was alone.

"You're later than usual!" she called out to him, "Only just got a mission from Mega-pain?" she asked as he landed beside her.

"Waspinator just got away from base," the wasp replied. "Terrorsaur wasted Megatron!"

Caitlin froze, uncomprehending…

Blink.

Blink.

Blink.

Cue reboot.

Jaw-drop…

"_Say_ **_what_**?!"

* * *

Dinobot was just nearing the edge of the forest—where the trees were thinning—when he heard something running towards him. It was on two legs. It ran with a mixture of panic, pain and determination. Turning around, he glimpsed Caitlin bolt past him, before skidding to a halt before (behind) him. She placed one hand out to steady herself against a tree, chest having. She tried to catch her breath, placed her other hand against her ribs, and said: "Terrorsaur… Scrapped… Megatron! Can't… breathe!"

Dinobot shoot his head. "Impossible," he scoffed, already turning tail. He did not even glance at her as he walked past.

She glared. "Waspinator said so," she bit out. "And he doesn't lie about such things."

He finally turned to face her. "And how would you know?"

Another glare. "He told me. And he has nothing to gain from lying to me!" she replied hotly. Tightening the straps on her backpack, she fixed him with a burning glare before turning her back on him. "And besides… He was muttering about Terrorsaur the same way he mutters about Megatron," she added tersely. She quickened her pace as she stalked off, effectively dodging roots and rocks that were in her way, and disappeared into foliage.

Dinobot had to reluctantly admit she was getting better at using the environment to her advantage. She still had a long way to go, but he could not deny…

…The girl had style…

A passing, pleasant little bird that had been happily chirping away: was burnt to a crisp by an irate, confused raptor.

* * *

When she finally arrived at the Axalon, Caitlin immediately sat on a chair. She glared at the screen, ignoring her throbbing ribs and lower back. Optimus, Rhinox and Rattrap exchanged glances. Then, they turned to face Caitlin—She'd spun on her chair and given them a warning glance. Instantly, they changed course. Rhinox sat down at his usual chair while Rattrap opened a game. Optimus did his usual thing—and Caitlin glowered at the wall, envision Dinobot's face being repeatedly bashed in with a very large club. You know-the kind you see in a cartoon the small mouse would beat the cat with. An evil smile swept over her face as she daydreamed, unaware that she was causing the three mechs to glance at her warily every now and then.

Suddenly, beeping dragged her out of her daydream and snap-bang to reality. Shifting her gaze to Rhinox's screen, her brow furrowed in worry. "Cheetor's coming in. At top speed," Rhinox and then looked at Caitlin, "Better open the hatch."

Caitlin didn't look as she flicked the switch: she was watching Optimus approached Rattrap with amusement. "Ay, Optimus!" Rattrap whined when his game was shut off.

"Cheetor wouldn't be moving this fast unless he had something urgent to report!" Optimus replied.

Sighing, Caitlin folded her arms. _Relaxation_…. _Whatever_ was that thing? It seemed it was just going to be one of those days. She figured it must be Monday… A flash of yellow-and Cheetor came racing in; panting hard and obviously panicked. He could get a clear word in as he tried to speak. Varying between amusement and annoyance, but settled on amusement.

"Big-bot… Predacons… Attacking! Megatron—scrapped—Terrorsaur… Mountain floating!" he yelled out.

Caitlin blinked. Say what? _'So, Waspinator really had spoken the truth. Interesting…'_ She frowned as a thought struck her. She'd just second-guessed her instincts when Dinobot had doubted them. That… was quite _problematic_…

Optimus raised his arms over the cat. "Calm down, Cheetor," he said calmly. "Better transform." He waited until Cheetor nodded and leapt into his robot form. "That's better. Now, tell us.., _slowly_."

"Right… Terrorsaur's leading the Predacons now. He's going to attack our base!"

Rhinox and Rattrap gasped, while Optimus frowned. "What about Megatron?"

"Terrorsaur scrapped him like was a-a maintenance bot!" Cheetor replied, his hands exaggerating the complexity of the statement. "He must have found some monster Energon source on that floating mountain!"

"Say what?" Caitlin asked, eyebrows rising in disbelief. _'That's new. I've seen balls of light talk and threat… but I've yet to see something as extravagant as a floating mountain. How the hell does that sort of thing happen? Some sort of anti-gravity field or something? Wait! How in the heck would an anti-gravity field even get there?! Oh, my head. My poor, poor head. Okay Caitlin, time to stop thinking…'_

"Floating mountain?" Rhinox asked thoughtfully.

"I knew it!" Rattrap exclaimed. "You got your circuits crossed, kiddo. Even on this weird dirtball… Mountains don't fly."

"Not fly, FLOAT!" Cheetor snapped. He turned to Optimus, his eyes begging him to believe him. "It's true Optimus, I saw it! Terrorsaur flew away from it _faster_ than I've ever seen him move!"

Optimus scratched his chin then turned to the rhino. "Rhinox, intensify perimeter scan and see if you can get through to Dinobot. I want the Predacons spotted!" he ordered, and then turned to Cheetor, his eyes having lost its firm order. "Now, where did you spot this floating mountain?"

Caitlin watched from the side, suddenly feeling her fatigue and the soreness in her ribs. She took a glance, and winced. She'd have to stay still for awhile and try not to get into trouble. Well, as best as she could, anyway. Trouble seemed to have a knack for finding her, or she found it. Either way, it often hurt like a bitch later. Then, Caitlin saw Cheetor point in an area she'd never been before. "Right here," he said.

Rhinox set up the console table in the middle of the command centre. Curious, she watched two different balls of light on the screen. "I've got two of 'em," Rhinox said.

Each Predacon had a different colour keyed to their signature. She had learnt this within the first few weeks upon the Axalon. The two lights there were… "Terrorsaur and Tarantulas," she mused. Then, she realised it was typical. Tarantulas _would_ be the type that would desire an abundant Energon source; to use for his own purposes. As for Terrorsaur: more power equalled the ability to remain in control. One had to be strong to survive the Predacon way of life, she assumed. But, there were two types of strengths: the body and the mind. And, she guessed you needed both to survive. Terrorsaur struck her as someone who only had cunning at his side, but not a whole lot of firepower to back him up.

"Patch it into the map grid," Optimus said.

"Hey, what happened?" Rattrap asked when the hologram of the map flickered, then froze.

"Energon interference," Rhinox explained. "They must be near a _large_ concentration of it."

"A mountain of it, to be precise," Optimus said.

Cheetor turned a snide glare at the rat, "Told ya, Rat-breath!"

"You ask me, you and Optimus both need to be debugged," Rattrap retorted flippantly.

"You know it's possible," Rhinox mused thoughtfully. "If the Energon was unstable, and there was a big enough concentration… It _could_ lift a mountain off the ground!"

"My thoughts exactly," Optimus smiled. Then, he turned to the rat. "Rattrap, rick for demolition and meet me at the roof hatch in five cycles.!"

"To do what?" Rattrap exclaimed, eyebrows quirked.

"Destroy that mountain before the Predacons try to secure it," Optimus replied. "Rhinox set the defense grid of maximum."

"It's always something," Rattrap and Caitlin sighed in unison, shaking their heads. They exchanged an amused glance, and then Rattrap set off to get ready.

* * *

While Rattrap and Optimus were gone, Caitlin took to disappearing into the room that served as the medic bay. It was where damaged mechs were repaired when the CR Chamber wasn't exactly needed—or it wasn't enough. She looked around for some tape she could use to secure her ribs. With a triumphant whoop, she found some. She kept her shirt on, wrapping the tape around her ribs firmly to keep her mid-section from moving too much, but allowing her to breathe. Deciding she might as well, she wrapped her wrists and forearms. Once she was satisfied, she experimented moving. It was easy to move in and it protected her skin. It was quite firm, almost like a very thin sheet of metal.

She replaced everything and then looked at the bench there.

Maybe, she could just lie down for a moment… Lying down, she closed her eyes, her mind drifting into that foggy realm of neither light nor dark.

She just wanted to rest for a moment… Just a moment…

…

Caitlin awoke to the sounds of the congratulating return of Rattrap and Optimus. After realising what the sound meant, she cursed. She hadn't expected to fall asleep. And from the feel of her body, not for that long either. Sighing, she swung her legs gingerly over the side of the medic berth. Gathering her bearings first, she then made her way to the Control Room. She quietly slipped inside and leant against the wall. Then, Dinobot glanced over at her and caught her gaze. Her eyebrows furrowed; a sneer on her lips as she returned the stare.

Neither raptor nor human; noticed Rattrap look between the two as they glared at each other. It was if one of them blinked, they'd start a verbal brawl that would put all other arguments between Dinobot and himself to shame. The rat was now effectively curious. This showed as he stared at them intensely, taking in the mirrored stance: the fold of their arms, their heads and shoulders hunched over slightly as if preparing to pounce. The rat was still staring, when Caitlin turned her gaze upon him. Her eyebrow quirked as the gaze seemed to demand him not to ask what was up, or daring him to do so. He wasn't quite sure which.

"Was there something you wanted, Raptor-bait?" she snapped finally, having reached the limit of her patience.

_'Yup, something's botherin' her,'_ he thought and held his hands up in surrender. "Nothing-nothing!" he assured quickly, and turned away to go refuel.

"That's what I thought," he heard her mutter in a growling tone. Then, she spun on her heel and disappeared into the direction of her room.

The rat wondered what had happened between her and Dinobot, but he wasn't going to ask. No way. He wanted to keep his head on his shoulders.

He was a survivalist, after all.

* * *

Caitlin was determined to stay in her room. However, she was a human being and a human being needed food to nourish itself. And stay alive. Being alive was over-rated as far as she was concerned. Growling at her growling stomach—that begged to differ—she made her way to the area that served as "the _kitchen_". It held the stuff the Maximals ate/drank to keep their own energy up. It constantly amused her that the Energon that, in large quantities could hurt them also fueled them. Still, perhaps it was simply a case of: too much of a good thing. Shrugging, she tried to recall what she had left in the area she'd saved for herself. The kitchen was where she stored any fruit she'd picked on her travels. At the moment, she remembered: she had apples and pears. Not exactly the best breakfast, but it was better than nothing. It was actually a lot healthier than if she'd been at her own house. Chocolate and biscuits mixed with coffee was not exactly on the top healthy things to eat in the morning, she supposed. Not that she had cared. She had lived on sugar and caffeine. Without either, her mood was not always the best. But they said fruit had sugar in them…

If there was any sugar – it sure as hell wasn't enough!

When she entered the kitchen, she found herself walking in on Dinobot in his beast-mode. He was eating the raw flesh of an animal he'd obviously hunted earlier. Only to drag it into the base, which meant, she realised irritably, she'd have to clean his mess afterwards. "_Nice_," she deadpanned, eyes blank at the sight before her. Then, she made her way to kitchen, keeping as far away as possible from the… That blood was going to fucking stain!

_'Wait!'_ her mind interjected. _'They don't have carpets!'_  
_'The sentiment remains the same...'_ was her blunt reply.

Dinobot glanced up at her from his kill, and stared at her. "Do you have any objection to the way I eat, human?" he asked, but returned to eating before she could reply. Thus, signifying that he really didn't give a damn about her opinion, so why bloody well ask you sorry excuse for a pre-evolved bird brain!

She glanced at him from the corner of her eye, pinning the floor a pointed look. "The mess you leave afterwards—Is what I object to, pre-evolved reptile," she retorted as she fished for an apple. Then, leaping atop the counter to fully face him, she cocked her brow. "A warrior such as you should know how to clean up after themselves. So as not to be renamed pestilence." Dinobot went stiff. For a moment, she thought he'd broken. Then, he moved. In a blink of her eye, the raptor had his head starting at her, growling challengingly in a show of his razor-sharp teeth. Ooh scary! She bared her own in reply, eyes narrowing in response to the silent challenge. Leaning forward, close enough that there was only a mere inch or so between their faces, she tried her best to burn her hazel eyes into his optics. "Is there something about me you dislike, Dinobot? You were the one to agree to train me, were you not?"

He snarled, slamming his arms either side of her. His anger was too great, because he didn't think to transform as he brought his head to his chest, so as to properly glare into her eyes. "I train you simply to ensure that you have the means to escape Predacon capture," he growled fiercely. "Make no mistake; I will leave you to do die on the battlefield if you are stupid enough to get hit!"

Pain stabbed and then anger flared. "Awww," she crooned with a malicious undertone with a sneer, "I love you too." Dinobot blinked then she kicked him in the chest. As he staggered backwards, she threw herself off the ledge and bit into her apple. Casting him a look he couldn't identify; she spun on her heel and stepped over his kill without a backwards glance as she headed for the door. "If I'm not back before nightfall, tell Optimus not to send out a search party. I'm trying my hand at fishing."

Dinobot could only stare at the place she'd disappeared.

Then, he promptly returned to his kill with a savagery that made it seem he was fighting Megatron, rather than a dead piece of meat.

* * *

Later on, found Caitlin staring down at the water of the quiet part of a river, musing over her thoughts. Dinobot's admission for the reason he was training her, had hurt. _Why_? She didn't know. She didn't _want_ to know. It was strange; however, that his opinion had suddenly mattered to her along the time-frame she'd been here. But, perhaps that was only because she _had_ to live with the bastard. She knew this very well. Had she met Dinobot on the streets, she would have aptly discontinued their acquaintance.

Scoffing, she realised the situation here was much like at home. Had her siblings not been her siblings, she would have never gotten along with them (or even cared to). She would have never cared for them; wouldn't have even looked back at them if she'd passed them on the streets, going the other way. But, they _were_ her siblings and she _had_ to live with them. To live with others in a small house, one had to _at least_ reach a compromise with the other person.

If the people within a home hated each other, the wars held there could become legendary. In fact, she had a few scars to remember how true that was.

Then that thought came to a realisation. She had grown to _like_ the Maximals. But not as simple friends, no. More like… family.

In fact, it was only a matter of time before she started calling Optimus "_Dad_." That was what she thought their relationship was. Truthfully, she'd never had good relationships with her own father or the step-father's her mother married. But, she thought the relationship of father-daughter should be much like the one she had with the big ape. He allowed her some freedoms, since she wasn't his kid, but he was a leader and had her safety (and the others) as his top priority. It was baffling to feel protected by someone who wasn't even her own species, and think of him as Dad, when she'd never even called her own father as such. It was… nice, but awkward. She also didn't like his rules, but they were there for her safety, despite her feelings on the matter. He cared about her opinion and he cared about her. That set him on a high bar. Her experience with '_father-daughter relationships'_ were like this: father care for only himself and daughter used to get back at mother. Not exactly a healthy relationship to be in…

She'd come to see Rhinox as a distant "_Uncle_". The one that was always there for you when you needed it. He taught her things and told her things when she asked him. He'd even given her the watch she'd yet to take off since the moment she'd put it on (aside form when she had to take a bath/swim in large body of water). She didn't know him too well; the rhino was just that quiet and preferring his realm of solitude. Much like herself. But, he was a sturdy shoulder to lean on when you needed to cry. And he would pass no judgement. Or, if he did, he kept it to himself. Not that she used him as a shoulder to cry on… that'd be a bit awkward.

She'd grown to think of Cheetor as her "_little brother_." She had been told many times in the past, that she had been quite protective of her little brothers. She even went so far as to threaten their grandmother when she'd tried to keep them from her mother. That had been the first time she'd felt what true rage was like. Even now, she remembered the beat of her heart and the blood rushing through her veins. Later she had realised the edges of her vision dimmed, focusing only in front of her. Had the bitch of a woman been standing before her, she probably would have charged her. Consequences be damned. Though, her voice had remained calm throughout the threats and insults she'd growled down the phone: she had been ready to punch something. And had felt she could have beaten the living shit out of the bitch until she was nothing but mince on the sidewalk. She felt this in regards the Cheetor. He was hyper-actively loud and easy-going. He wanted to experience things and get out there. Truthfully, she hated the hyper-activeness, it was bloody annoying: but she appreciated it as well.

However… she didn't know exactly where she stood with Rattrap or Dinobot.

For the most part, she got along with either of them. Rattrap was an engaging, teasing insulter… with perhaps just a bit too much survival instincts. He was the first one to run at the sign of trouble, but she'd noticed that if say… Cheetor was in trouble; he'd go in and help despite the risks. Dinobot had his own vocabulary, which wasn't anything to mock. He'd mock back twice as hard and sweep you under the mat's for good measure before shaking that mat out, and beating it. Though, some part of her knew that had she met them on the streets, she would have avoided them. But, she would have also wanted to stick around as well. They were interesting, to put it bluntly. She'd never get bored with the around. They were, after all: people she had wanted to be.

During her younger years, she had been quite timid. An easy target for bullies, though their words rarely hurt her. They were just annoying. More often than not, she bit her tongue and ignored them. After all, if she were the one to pull the punches, _she'd_ be the one in trouble. And if she wasn't fighting back when a teacher came around, _they'd_ get in trouble, not her. She had often kept her retorts and aggressiveness behind her demeanour of a shy girl with her head in a book. When, in truth: she had wanted nothing more than to bite back at their taunts and beat them til they were black and blue (and maybe a little bit of red, but she didn't want to dirty the uniform. Her mother would have killed her).

Well, she _had_ been timid: _until_ she had snapped. But she always found she kept her darker side at bay, behind light smiles and a laid-back attitude.

Rattrap and Dinobot however, never tried to hide anything. They said what they thought, maybe not what they felt, but they were true enough to their characters.

"I've _got_ to stop thinking about this!" Caitlin hissed to herself, shaking her head to rid herself of her wayward thoughts. "I'm _supposed_ to be trying my hand at fishing!"

She had been _trying_ to catch a fish for about five hours now. She had yet to catch someone worthwhile eating. And the keyword there was: _trying_.

If there was one thing that she was sure she could cook to eat: it was a fish (or many fish, if she had her way). She'd been keeping to a solid belief that fish had no feelings, no thoughts. It was in this way; she could actually hunt and then inevitably kill a fish to eat it. If she thought it had feelings, she'd be less than likely be able to eat it. Because _she'd_ be the one to kill it. It was hypocritical, but she didn't like killing what she ate herself. It had to be killed for her. She was not a vegetarian by nature, design or choice. She _needed_ meat. Needed it like a vampire wants the blood of a virgin girl in a horror movie. She grimaced. That perhaps, wasn't the best comparison, but she was getting close enough to do just that. She'd almost considered licking the blood off the floor form Dinobot's dinner and chancing stealing a hind-leg.

And _that_ wasn't something she ever wanted to _ever_ think about.

Fish sounded _so_ much better…

"Here fishy-fishy-fishy," she sang at the water. "Come to the fisher. You're all bloody fishes, and you're supposed to be fished!" she ended with a roar. It was a mix between anger and a whine. She hated her menstrual cycle at the moment. It made it that much easier for others (and fish) to spark her temper into a raging fire. With a growl, she threw her makeshift fishing rod into the water, and kicked a rock into it in frustration. "FINE!" she roared at the innocent water. "Be that way! I never wanted to fish any of you anyways!"

"Ah, but perhaps, you, may be fished out… Yesss," a husky voice commented.

Caitlin froze and silently turned on the spot until she came face-to-chest with…: "Megatron," she breathed, stunned almost. She hadn't heard that giant coming! What was she? A Mary Sue? She did not like depending on other people. That didn't mean she spurned help when offered, though. Nor was she in any state of mind to be intimidated by a Barney wannabe. In fact, Barney was the Lord and Master of all Doom. And compared to that, Megatron was nothing but a cuddly teddy-saur. Gritting her teeth, she fixed the purple t-rex a deadpan expression. "If I am not mistaken, Megatron,_ I_ am not a fish. And therefore,_ I_ cannot be fished. However, I might point out that it seems mighty _fishy_ that you are here.., in _Maximal Territory_. Didn't you know, in this part of the waters… there be danger?"

The Predacon Leader chuckled deep in his throat.

_ 'Well,_' her mind interjected. '_That'd be his voice processor, actually.'_  
_'Thank you, mind. I am now enlightened by your marvellous observation. Now piss off!' _  
'_Okay!'_

She was jerked out of her thoughts when Megatron grabbed her with his t-rex hand. She gasped as he gripped her tightly around her ribcage. Her feet left the ground quickly as he brought to his eye-level. She gritted her teeth in pain and held onto his er… '_What the hell do I call this thing?!_' **_jaw-hand_**, and then cocked an eyebrow at him. She did not like this situation. At all. '_Well'_, she thought, '_time to vent my frustrations on a well-sized target._' She lashed out backwards with her boot into the jaw with a dagger she'd placed at the heel. Instantly, the purple tyrant dropped her with a startled expression. She managed to land in a crouch and ducked under his legs. But, she didn't get too far when she found herself face-to-face with a certain robot named: Tarantulas.

At his side was Vincent, who was smirking at her. "And where are you going?" Tarantulas asked with a cackle.

She stepped to the side. "Oh, you know… Away from this current location, towards a certain base, which is loaded with automatic guns that don't like your Predacon signatures," she quipped, but stopped when she noticed Megatron bearing down at her with his impressive height. _'Oh shit-nuggets of the shittiest shit-fucked shitty shithole shit!'_

"I'm afraid that you won't be, nooo," Megatron said.

Caitlin considered her chances. Nil. She cocked her head and looked up at him. She sighed and folded her arms. "Kick and scream and make a commotion, or go along silent?" she asked, more to herself than the Predacons. Ohh, decisions, decisions, decisions. Neither option was particularly appealing. But, she would rather prefer the former to the latter.

"Silence would be preferable, yes," Megatron replied, thinking that she was going to be an easy capture.

Oh, how wrong he was…

"But!" she asked, holding up a finger. "What if I _wanted_ to make a commotion?" Smirking darkly, there appeared a glint in her eye Megatron hadn't seen before. He'd seen it on many a trigger-happy Predacon, however… "Or, how about… an _explosion_?" Revealing her hands, Megatron saw that she held two bombs. That smirk grew wicked as their eyes widened in surprise. They probably weren't expecting that. She was glad she'd nicked them from the rat some time ago. With a pleasant smile, she waved the bombs at the Predacons, watching their eyes remain fixed on her hands. "You get outta my sight, and all of us can go home with limbs intact," she offered pleasantly as if remarking on the weather. Her eyes shifted from pleasant to: no-nonsense: you don't obey, you die! "I'm _not_… in a very… good mood."

Vincent was the first to speak. "You're insane!"

Her only reply was a smirk. "Takes one to know one, Pretty Boy." The Predacons backed up. She kept her hands on the trigger as she walked forward, circling around them. (The Predacons _were_ standing in her way of the Axalon). She kept the bombs in front of her, her thumbs pressed firmly on the triggers. They would only start the countdown to demolition when she decided to release them, and they knew it. Finally, she managed to circle them all around until her back was to the way to the Axalon. "I can still _see_ you," she smiled as if she wasn't threatening the Predacons with the explosives a certain rat had made (and his demolitions were works of art. Truly beautiful…)

The three Predacons glanced at each other, then at the sinister-looking human female before them. They decided to listen to some higher power of reasoning, because they turned on their heels and an away. What an opportunity! She couldn't waste it! Chuckling, she threw one of the bombs at their retreating forms. Then, turned tail and bolted for the Axalon. She hoped she got there before she ran out of bombs. She had no desire in taking a tour of the Dark Syde's cages…. They didn't even have any cookies that she'd eat.

She heard, and felt, the explosion behind her. She hoped that at least one of the Maximal's had heard it, and headed her way.

She was getting better with her guns, daggers and unique abilities, but she wasn't _that_ good.

Besides, with her ribs the way they were… she wouldn't last long.

* * *

Rattrap and Dinobot were, once again, in one of their infamous arguments, when they heard the explosion. It was in the direction she'd gone to try her hand at fishing.

Once the explosion died down, Rattrap realised something. "I don't remember givin' her any of my demolitions," he mused. He cast the raptor a glance. The saurian was starting at the direction the explosion had originated from with an intense expression. The two of them, could just make out four moving shapes running across the landscape.

Dinobot stood upright from his crouched and marched off. "That does not matter now, rodent. We must go save that stupid human female!" he growled.

Later he would realise that he was doing exactly what he said he'd never be doing, in regards to the stupid human female.

Rattrap stared at his hastily retreating back with a bemused glance. A million things ran through his processor, but now was not the time.

Quickly, the rat sent a report to the ape and hurried after the old scale belly.

* * *

Caitlin had fallen into a ditch. And she was not happy. At all. Happiness was the complete opposite of what she was feeling right now. However, as luck might have it: she'd managed to keep her thumb on the trigger. Unluckily, she'd jarred her ribs. The three Preds, however, were not so fast to try and reach over grab her, since she kept the bomb in clear sight. No way was she letting go of her only life insurance. But, she'd need a dip in the stream after this. She was _covered_ in dirt. Growling inaudibly, she pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the ditch, a bit higher than the Preds. From her vantage point, she came to Megatron's chin. A remarkable improvement, considering her smaller stature. Deciding to get comfortable, she slammed her spare hand against the ground. She thought of a chair. She'd been trying this out, so she might as well do it now. From the ground, a rocky platform appeared. After a moment, it took the shape of a chair. Granted, it was only like a big floppy cushion, but it'd do. Satisfied, she plopped herself down.

"Is there any particular reason as to why you're chasing something with a bomb in their hands?" she asked the Predacons, bemused. "Or are you all just clinically insane?"

"Is there any particular reason _why_ you got me bombs on ya, girl?" the familiar voice of Rattrap met her ears.

She turned around with a smile, but if fell upon the sight of the infuriated, closed-off look from Dinobot. Her expression blank, she shrugged. "It's called life insurance," she answered with a casual wave of the hand that held the bomb. Triggered and armed, just waiting to be let go. "But it seems the tenacious t-rex, the annoying arachnid and the hedonistic human, have a death wish."

"How dare you speak to me like that?!" Megatron roared, not liking the fact he was being talked down by a human female.

Caitlin rolled her eyes at the t-rex. "Begging your pardon, Predacon," she drawled with an unimpressed glance at him. "I wasn't speaking to you. Geez, you'd think-that being a robot of intelligence far superior to my own, you'd have realised that. Or are you just attention seeking like a little lost whelp of a pup lost from its mother?"

Megatron's (even Tarantulas, Vincent, Rattrap and Dinobot's) jaw dropped. "Megatron… TERRORISE!" the Predacon Leader roared. Caitlin smiled as she threw the bomb at his feet, and bolted, having shortened the time on the bomb. Rattrap got the hint immediately. He ran on ahead, but Dinobot grabbed her by the arm as he whooshed past, and swung her onto his back as he ran. "NOOOOOO!" they heard Megatron yell, and the three laughed.

* * *

When they got back to the base, Caitlin glanced at her two companions. They were quieter than a grave yard.

No, that wasn't right. Even the grave yard made more noise.

She sighed. "I'm sorry about taking your explosives without asking, Rattrap," she told him apologetically.

Rattrap simply glared. She knew it wouldn't be easy to gain his forgiveness. He held a grudge like no one she ever knew. So, she sighed and folded her arms as they walked. Dinobot had dropped her once they had gotten far enough from the explosion, and had yet to say a single word. Finally, they arrived at the Axalon. Before either of them could stop her to talk with Optimus to get a lecture, she was already headed to her room.

Rattrap and Dinobot exchanged glances, then glanced at the door where their favourite (and only) female team member had been hidden from their view.


	6. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5: "Fallen Comrades"**_

Caitlin exhaled a long stream of air, thankful she was effectively '_back to normal'_, as it were. She had effectively scarred Cheetor for life, but with his optimism and upbeat attitude, it wasn't long til he was back into the swing of things. And annoying her with is run-away mouth. Sighing, she stood to her feet. And, as she had done every afternoon for the past week, she checked her ribs. The bruising was effectively gone. They didn't hurt anymore, for which she was thankful. But, she wasn't sure if she was supposed to be healing so quickly. But, figured it was probably for the better. In fact, she was finding that she could do a lot of things, that a mere human couldn't normally do.

…And all because she'd been abducted by the Vok and had her DNA changed.

"Hey Caitlin, you dressed yet?" Cheetor's voice traveled through the doorway, slightly muffled.

Caitlin pulled on a shirt and wrapped a belt around her hips. "You can enter now!" she yelled, reaching to grab her bag.

She was unaware that her shirt slid up, revealing slightly toned muscles – and a few past scars.

Cheetor paused at the sight. He frowned slightly as he caught sight of the scars. Some, he knew, were gained from her training with Dinobot. But, he thought he'd better not start an argument about it. She was older than him, after all, in regards to human age. He had no say in what she did. Even if he thought it would be better for her not to train with the former Predacon. While he waited for her to check her things, he checked his guns, inspected it and placed it back in its usually position. He glanced at Caitlin, who was adjusting the straps to her backpack. "So, what are you doing now?" he asked.

"I just have a feeling that today is going to be quite active," she replied and shrugged; and together, they walked to the Control Room.

When they entered the room, the found something was happening. The others were all gathered around. Rhinox was looking at something that was probably important, if the intense expression on his face was any indicator. Caitlin cocked a brow at the cat who shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what was going on either. But then: "Incoming stasis pod," the rhino said, pointing at the screen, tone serious. "Orbit has decayed over the northern sector."

"Heads up bots! Get ready to move!" Optimus called out in warning.

Caitlin latched on and leant against the CR Chamber as she watched with baited breath, what would happen.

"Impact in five seconds… four… three… two… one… IMPACT!"

"I'm flying over there," Optimus said once he'd learnt the coordinates.

Boss Monkey had that expression on his face. She frowned, a bad feeling running down her spine. She wasn't the only on either, because Cheetor stepped forward. "Gotta tell ya, Big-bot. It doesn't sound like such a swift move… Splitting up." Caitlin hummed in agreement. Her thoughts raced wildly as she thought up scenario after scenario of how Megatron would react to the oncoming pod. There was no doubt he'd want it. But, what was the easiest way to win a race? You annihilated, incarcerated or damage the competition. It was cheating, yes. But she didn't think Megatron was the type to care about fairness. Besides: all's fair in love and war. She couldn't deny she wanted to run the race to the pod, but… splitting up? _That_ made her feel uneasy. There was a reason war's were fought in groups, and assassinations were solo.

"Wouldn't that be… rash?" she risked voicing her opinion on the matter. Worry niggled at her. "If you get hurt, Optimus, we'll be put at a significant disadvantage. More so because you're our leader. If you're injured while you're at the pod – or on your way too it – we may be too late to help you if wind up seriously injured."

"We've got no choice!" Optimus replied stubbornly. "We're talking 100 clicks over rough territory. Megatron's sure to launch his own fliers. I _have_ to get there first!"

_'True, true'_, she thought_. 'On many accounts. But there are many risks. I am not a gambler by nature. I may be impulsive, but even_ **I**_think before I act.' _Sighing, Caitlin recognised the look in the ape's eyes. It was one that could not, and would not, be dissuaded. She had seen it in herself and inside many of her family member's eyes. However, what he was suggesting was foolishly irrational. She wasn't the only one to think that either. It was a thought everyone was sharing.

Besides, it was _Dinobot_ who stood behind Optimus, to stop him from doing something foolish. "I am not normally an advocate of caution," he admitted. "_But_, in this case, I must… register, my concern. Megatron does not always behave as one might… _expect_."

_'That's an understatement if I ever heard one!' _Caitlin snorted to herself.

Optimus shook his head. "He'll want to reach the pod first, same as us. Right now, it's a race, pure and simple. Optimus Primal… MAXIMISE!"

"Nonetheless," Dinobot insisted strongly. A tone that would not be dissuaded either. "You _will_ do me the honour of permitting the honour to exit first. I have… _suspicions_."

_'And rightly so!_' she thought.

"Alright, but hurry!" Optimus urged.

"Dinobot…. MAXIMISE!" the raptor transformed and went down the lift to check the area.

Caitlin sighed, feeling a headache the size and China coming on. She turned to Optimus, her expression concerned. "Optimus… While I… commend you, on your care for the other Maximals in those stasis pods," she said gently. She had to at least _try_ to persuade him to think over the matter calmly. It was the least she could do. "Dashing into something, without thinking over everything, _carefully_—especially in _this_ sort of situation, will do more harm than good."

Optimus pinned her with an angry look. "And how would **you** know?"

Cocking her brow, she replied: "Call it… _intuition_. I'll even accept: female intuition."

Optimus was about to reply, but Dinobot returned. "My scanners detect no hostiles. Yet something feels… amiss. Permit me to lead a scouting patrol."

That did it for the ape. "There isn't time! One of my comrades is other there somewhere, and _every_ second counts!"

"And so does the seconds of your time!" Caitlin finally snapped, suddenly angry. Flames flickered to life in her hands she raised them angrily, stabbing a finger in his direction. "If you get badly damaged, the others are gonna hafta find ya comrade the harder way!"

"I… agree with the girl," Dinobot said, glancing her at her with subdued impressed look in his face. Then, he turned back to Optimus, his gaze hard, yet somewhat conciliatory. He remained firm in his opinion. After all, he knew Megatron best. "Your emotion-chips are overriding your caution circuits. I _insist_ on a scouting patrol!"

"I am in command here, now stand aside!" Optimus yelled. Charging forward, he slammed into Dinobot and pushed him back into the lift, to go down.

A flicker of indecision ran through her mind. '_I'm _so_ going to die!'_ She sighed and leapt down, landing on the ape's head. "Will you at least allow me to go with you, just in case?" She might not be able to do much, but even a little help could go a long way.

Optimus pulled her off him and practically threw her into Dinobot's chest—who instinctively caught her. "You're too likely to get hurt!" was the ape's reply. Caitlin growled inaudibly about being treated like an unwanted pack, that he was too paranoid for his own good: and reminded Dinobot that he could put her down now. He did just as the lift was down far enough for: "Primal jets on!" Optimus flew into the air and turned to face the two. Caitlin and Dinobot stared at him with very intense stares. "Have a ground-unit follow me as quickly as possible. We have to…"

Caitlin blinked as a missile suddenly exploded on his arm. _'How does one miss that coming?'_ Turning towards its origination point, she found Waspinator and Terrorsaur. With little regard to her safety, she started to move forward, but a heavy arm around her waist, stopped her. "Optimus…" she gasped, wanting to move towards him. She wanted to make sure he was alright, but the raptor's arm kept her in place as the two Predacons opened fire.

"_Ambush_! As I expected!" Dinobot growled. He readied his weapons and pushed Caitlin behind him. Before he could charge however, his tail-sword was shot down. Then, Terrorsaur shot at Optimus—hitting him seriously and knocking him to the ground. His optics seemed to shut down for good. As if noticing this, Caitlin was kindly released from Dinobot's '_protection'_. Immediately she hurried over, hovering over the ape protectively.

Behind her, she heard Dinobot growl. A beat later: and he fired his laser-beam above the two firing Predacons, which caused a large boulder to fall… Right on top of Waspinator, squashing him like the bug he was. "Ye-ess!" the raptor exclaimed; making the '_score_!' motion with his fists. He smiled and Caitlin blinked. She'd never seen him with such a smile. It was usually snarls and growls. She though it suited him. She frowned at her thoughts, shaking them off and turned her concentration onto the unconscious ape-headed ape. She dug her heels into the dirt as dragged Optimus closer to the lift. Her eyes widened at her own strength as she moved him closer to the ship, one step at a time.

"COWARDS!" Dinobot growled as Terrorsaur helped Waspinator off the ground, begging to fly off in retreat. "Face me!"

"Uh, DINOBOT! A littl' help 'ere! I can' get this elephan'-weighin' ape on this lif' withou' help, ya know!" Caitlin yelled. Her usually hidden accent (or just plain butchering of the English language, if she were to be honest) appeared as it usually did when she was panicking or extremely angered, or even embarrassed. However, she was promptly ignored by the battle-lusting raptor who, she might add, was paying more attention to his enemies: shooting at their retreating backs…

"MAXIMISE!" Cheetor yelled. Caitlin watched with awe as he leapt into the air, landing neatly in his robot form. "Optimus! Oh man… can you hear me, Big-Bot?"

Caitlin growled at the stupid question. She figured that the unconscious ape was unable to compose a positive or negative reply. Gripping him on the arm, she tried to move him again: when Dinobot appeared. "Fear not, Optimus! I shall ensure that you're funeral has a glorious one as befits a warrior who died in battle!"

"You got your wires crossed or something?" Caitlin exclaimed, dropping Optimus' arm as she stood between him and Optimus…

When she heard Optimus groan. "Afraid I'll have to miss it, Dinobot," he said, placing his hand over his chest-plate. "I'm not… scrap yet!"

Dinobot tapped his claws against his jaw. "Are you certain?" he asked, making sure. "It would be a… triumphant passage."

Caitlin bit back a snigger at that. So, the Predacon-turned-Maximal Warrior held a secret hidden ambition, to die honourable as a warrior on the battlefield—in his heart of hearts. Strange… but she couldn't seem to find it in her own mind – to see him die any other way.

However, Cheetor didn't seem to find it at all amusing. "Will you knock it off!" he snapped, and then turned back to Optimus. "We gotta get you in the CR Chamber, Big-bot."

"No!" Optimus yelled, panicked. "The stasis pod!'

"We'll get it," the cat assured him. "But right now, let's worry about you." He turned to Dinobot, "Gimme a hand here!"

Dinobot looked reluctant. "Alright," he finally said. He reached down, grabbed Optimus by the chest-plate as easily as picking up a daisy. (Though the mere _idea_ of him picking up a daisy; was amusing enough to cause her to snigger, even in circumstance such as _these_.) He brought Optimus eye-level to him and gave him an intense, meaningful stare before dropping him on his feet. Caitlin snorted to herself as she stepped back to allow Cheetor to give Optimus aid. Then, she looked around and began collecting Dinobot's sword-thing. Because, apparently, they didn't seem to need her help with _that_. "I am able to do this without aid, human!" Dinobot growled, realising what she was doing.

"Regardless of whether or not you can or cannot," she retorted. "Two hands are better than one. The team will be split up, since Optimus is now effectively outta commission for a while. You'll be staying behind, most likely, since your weapons got trashed." She held up a few pieces of his sword as if to point out the truth of that fact. She handed them to him, which he wordlessly took, a frown marring his lips. "Which'll leave the other three to race to the pod," she sighed, eyes narrowed in annoyance. "Leaving _me_ behind with _you_ to take care of _Optimus_ and the _base_."

Dinobot didn't say anything to that. He found no fault in her logic.

…He just wished that didn't mean he'd be playing _baby-sitter_ again.

* * *

As she had concluded earlier, she and Dinobot had been left behind to guard Optimus while the other three headed for the pod. Sighing, Caitlin leant back into the chair, suddenly uncomfortable in the silence. Then, she decided to speak her complaints. After all, this time she had an audience. "I'm _always_ left behind," she muttered.

"Quit your complaining!" Dinobot snarled, apathetic to her complaints, "Or I'll double your training!"

Demeanour changing, she whistled a tuneless ditty and folded her arms behind her head. With half-closed eyes, she asked: "_Me_? _Complain_? You _sure_ you talkin' 'bout me?"

Dinobot glowered his raptor eyes at her, but Caitlin remained immune as she stared idly at the screen before her. He stood to his feet, approaching her. She heard him transform and then, she felt his form lean over her. He planted his hands on either side of her, blocking her escapes, and then leant towards her ear. "That training will be tripled," he growled.

Caitlin froze for a moment, then, swivelling until she faced him (though she had to tilt her head up) she fixed him with an unimpressed, blank stare. "Then I shall make sure to keep you out on patrol, triple to your current hours," she replied, then added with a smirk: "All of them with a certain Rat you _love_ _so much_." The raptor glared fiercely, but she seemed unfazed. She leant forwards then slid out from underneath his arms. She stalked to the computer said rat sat and opened a game he'd been playing. All the while, she effectively ignored the confusing raptor as she cursed herself within the privacy of her own damned mind.

_'What the heck am I doing?'_ she hissed in her head. _'Are you _trying_ to get yourself blasted girl?'_

_'Admit it!'_ another part of her mind chuckled darkly. _'You like the irritable raptor. Just like you like Rattrap.'_

_'Do not!'_ she argued.

_'You do so!'_

_'How can I like two guys, who aren't even my own species?'_ Caitlin snarled at the voice, kicking the table in frustration. _'It's bloody well impossible!'_

_'How can you not?'_ the voice asked in that knowing tone.

Caitlin didn't have a reply, but the level of her irritation caused her to slam her fist down. She made it seem like it was because of the game, so Dinobot wouldn't think any of it.

She took to trying to push those treacherous thoughts to the back of her mind. She kept telling herself that she wasn't thinking about it.

Yeah, that's right. _She wasn't_. Don't argue with her!

* * *

About an hour later, the silence had prevailed in the Base when Rattrap's voice appeared. "Maximal base, this is Rattrap!" Caitlin looked up from the game she was winning, saved and exited it. But, she was halted from answering it by Dinobot (who was back in his raptor form). "_Hello_-you reading me, Chopperface! We got problems!"

Dinobot took his time to press the button to allow them to communicate with each other. "_Speak_ vermin!"

"The Preds' scrapped the bridge. No way across. Now we gotta take the scenic route. Not a snowball's chance of beatin' them now," the rat groaned pessimistically.

"Well, aren't you a shiny ray of optimism, Rattrap," Caitlin sneered the same time Dinobot growled with annoyance: "No excuses, you pathetic rodent! Keep moving! Dinobot out."

"HEY!" Rattrap yelled, "You can kiss my pink hairy…!"

Dinobot slammed his claws down to cut the transmission with a smirk. Caitlin giggled to the side, before a thought caught her. "Maybe we should ask Optimus if he has thoughts in this…"

Dinobot got a thoughtful expression then turned to the computer. "Computer! Access and activate Optimus Primal's core consciousness."

"Acknowledged," the computer replied. Caitlin watched images appeared until a grid-like representation of Optimus appeared. "Core consciousness activated."

"On screen," Dinobot said.

An image of Optimus' head appeared, opening his eyes blearily. "Don't tell me… Let me guess. Problems already?"

"Indeed," Caitlin mused, leaning forward against the control system. She quietened when Dinobot shot her a warning glance… She must have read his mind again.

Scary. Scary. Scary. SCARY thought that.

"The others have been forcibly delayed," Dinobot continued. "The Predacons will reach the pod first. Have you any… _thoughts_?"

"Is there any way that we can contact the pod?" Optimus asked.

"The Energon fields are too strong. Our comlinks will not reach."

"How about… laser-pulse?"

"Impossible," Caitlin said this time, shaking her head. "We'd need line-of-sight transmission…" she blinked, realising something (and half because she couldn't believe she'd remembered this shit!) "Unless there's something that we can bounce it off of… The question is, however: is there anything that we could use to do so?"

Dinobot growled thoughtfully. Then, he blinked. "Perhaps there is," he said and turned to Caitlin. "Follow me outside, girl." She couldn't resist. She folded her arms, glared at him and tapped her foot against the floor. Cocking an eyebrow, she waited. Dinobot knew what she wanted, but he would not say it! He glared at her eyes. They held each other's gaze for a moment, neither one willing to back down.

The raptor looked away first and sighed heavily. "…Please."

She cupped a hand over her ear as if she hadn't heard him. "What was that?"

He growled, but closed his eyes. "Follow. Outside… _Please_," he bit out grouchily between clenched teeth; then marched to the lift.

"Of _course _I'll help you!" she smiled and followed after him, making sure there was a skip in her step.

After all, it was one of the ways to keep up a healthy dose of insanity! Not that she _really_ needed it, but one must keep up appearances…

* * *

She should have thought harder about this… Caitlin stared down at the implement of her… confusion. It was a dish that she'd been ordered to set up. Then, she blinked up at Dinobot—back at the dish that Dinobot had ordered her to aim at the large moon again then back at Dinobot. She folded her arms, kicking a platform on the roof of the Axalon, and growled. "I ain't doing that!" she snapped, shaking her head furiously. "I'd probably break the darn thing—or myself. _You_ do it! You know what you're doing, at least!"

Dinobot growled, but complied. "Keep a look out!" he snarled as he took over.

Caitlin picked up her gun and… kept a look out. It was a few moments later, when she thought she saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned around, but saw nothing. Frowning thoughtfully, she turned to Dinobot. "Um, Dinobot," she said hesitantly, her eyes flicking nervously from side to side.

"What?" the raptor snapped, almost dropping something before he caught it, just before it hit the ground. _'Nice reflexes!'_

"I think we're being watched…"

"Ah, Dinobot… yes," Megatron's suave voice spoke up. Dinobot froze before he and Caitlin turned in unison to face the purple dinosaur. She stepped behind him the same time he stepped in front of her, blocking her from Megatron's line-of-sight. Although, it was obvious he already knew that she was there, by the look on the megalomaniac's grin…

"Dinobot… MAXIMISE!"

Caitlin was forced to dodge the transforming robot parts as the raptor switched to his impressive robot form. He growled, almost on the verge of a berserker-rage.

"Oh no-no-no-no, calmness, calmness, please," Megatron said in a placating tone. "I came only to talk, yes… After all, you are alone and command of the Maximal base. An excellent opportunity, is it not? You were a Predacon once. Become one again," he sweet-talked Dinobot. Caitlin's eyes narrowed at his attempt. Then, those pinkish-purple optics turned on her. "And what about you Caitlin? If you both turn the base over to me—the Beast Wars will be over. We Predacons will rule the galaxy—and you shall be my second-in-command. What do you say?" he asked, stepping forwards.

Caitlin snorted and smirked as Dinobot laughed deep in his throat. "Eat slag!" he snarled, and shot his laser-beams at the t-rex's feet.

Suddenly-Caitlin felt herself being lifted off the ground. She growled up at Tarantulas, who'd gotten a hold of her. _'Get. It. Off. Of. Me!'_ the corner of her mind that was afraid of spiders screamed. But, in her new position, she could only watch as Megatron roared: "Vaporise him!"

And then the raptor was shot in the back by both Predacons; and fell to the ground below...

Pure. Uncontrollable. Fury.

She saw red for the fifth time in her life. "Lemme go you bucket of useless hinges!" she roared and slammed her fist against Tarantulas' face. She didn't feel the pain as she hit the metal armour of the mech's head. But, she did hiss as he dropped her. She hugged her chest where she'd hit his foot, before she rolled away before they could grab her… and fell off the ship.

"Finish him!" she heard Megatron yell.

Caitlin opened her eyes, having landed on Dinobot's chest. His pained-and-annoyed face looked up at her. Then, they both looked back up—where Scorponok and Tarantulas were aiming their guns at them. They fired their shots at the same time. Dinobot had already wrapped an arm around her midsection, and rolled them both under the ship to avoid being blasted. They stopped against the lift. This time their heads were spinning slightly. "Auto-weapons, on!" Caitlin barked at the computer as the lift began to rise.

"Acknowledged," the computer replied.

She felt more than heard the auto-guns fire. She watched with detached amusement as Tarantulas was fired backwards. A few seconds later, Scorponok was sent flying straight into the arachnid. Then, the auto-guns fired without mercy at all three; and they retreated. Then, the raptor and the girl appeared back in the command centre. "Fire the laser!" she yelled at Optimus. Turning away, she fluttered over Dinobot, uncertain as to how to help him. Optimus was the one in the CR Chamber at the moment. So, Dinobot would have to wait before he could go in.

"Computer! Uploading instructions… NOW!" Optimus yelled.

Caitlin felt the laser shoots its message outwards from where she stood. She turned her attention back to Dinobot. "Will you…." She paused. She realised mid-question that Dinobot would probably take her concern the wrong way. After all, he wasn't the sentimental type. So, she smoothed out her features until she could say something without too much emotion in her voice. But, she knew her eyes still held that concern. "Will you still be functional by the time Optimus is finished in the CR Chamber?" she asked, managing a less concerned tone only when she looked away from the raptor.

Dinobot glanced at her. "I will… survive." His eyes narrowed in confusion upon her, but she only nodded in reply. She attempted to help him get closer to the CR Chamber, but otherwise said nothing. She sat with him while they waited for the chamber to open. After a moment, she fell asleep at his side. Her head fell on his forearm as she lost her battle of wills to her exhaustion.

* * *

When Optimus was finally free of the CR Chamber, healed and ready to go: he found the amusing sight of Dinobot staring down at Caitlin. She was sleeping peacefully as if it was the most comfortable place the world. She appeared unaware of her surroundings, but she would frown whenever the raptor attempted to move. She even followed his arm, her 'pillow' – and leaving Dinobot at his wits end. Deciding to show mercy, Optimus knelt down. "Need some help?" he asked, trying to keep his amusement to the side. However, he got the hint that he hadn't quite succeeded—when burning-red optics flashed angrily at him.

"It would be… appreciated," Dinobot replied.

Chuckling, Optimus gently, but firmly, plucked Caitlin from Dinobot's side. He eased her down to the side of the CR Chamber for the moment. He turned to give Dinobot a hand into the chamber, and just gently placed him inside it as the raptor twitched uncontrollably. "Hang on, Dinobot. We'll have you restored before you know it. But, in the meantime, I've gotta fly! Optimus Primal… MAXIMISE!" he yelled and rose into the air. "Computer—Deactivate and reactivate auto-weapons in 30 seconds."

"Acknowledged," the computer replied. Caitlin shivered as a cool breeze interrupted her slumber as the flying ape flew off. Her eyes glimpsed and took note of him. Then, her eyes closed as she resettled down, reassured in the knowledge that Dinobot would be okay. She returned to darkness wondering if the others were alright…

* * *

When early morning came, Caitlin woke to find the others had returned. And by judging the good mood feel about them, she'd say last night's endeavours had been successful. She yawned, stretching where she'd fallen asleep—Just as Dinobot was exiting the CR Chamber. He obviously still didn't like the '_accursed appliance'_ as he stormed out. Sitting up, she winced as she felt her muscles twinge in discomfort. "Ugh! I feel like I was dropped by Tarantulas after punching him in the head, and rolled offa ship before landing on some hard scaly hide!" she groaned.

And yes, that was what had happened. And it felt like it too. Dinobot was by no means soft. Inside _or_ out.

Dinobot revealed his thoughts about his '_hard scaly hide'_ by whacking her over the head. This action abused her headache further. She gripped her head and glared up at him. "I gotta headache! So don't punch me, you pre-evolved, fly-bitten raptor!" she growled, pointing her finger at him and poking him as hard as she dared in his chest.

"_You_—Should have been paying attention to what was happening around you, you over-emotional wench!" Dinobot growled in reply, leaning over her in a show of height.

She was unfazed. "Excuse me for worrying about your unemotional earth-vexing scaly hide!" she snarled, having not taken a single breath.

Dinobot growled, stepping closer, but Optimus approached before anything else could happen. Rattrap was clearly amused and bewildered that Caitlin had gone off on Chopperface like that. Groaning, Caitlin held her head in one hand and glared at the wall. Glancing between the two, confident they wouldn't start arguing, he smiled a smile that said: '_I've got good news. And good news.'_ "In case you wanted to know… We were able to contact the pod. We have a new addition to the Maximals. His name is Tigatron."

Dinobot didn't say anything, but removed himself from Caitlin's presence and leant against the wall, waiting for the report. Caitlin thought over the new Maximal's name. "Tigatron?" she cocked a brow. "You robots really come up with the most uninteresting and typical names for yourselves," she muttered under her breath. Then, she smiled. "So, what's the new guy like?"

"Why, you interested?" Rattrap asked, cocking his own eyebrow saucily.

She frowned at him. "I'm interested. But not in the way you're implying, you perverted clack-dish. Besides," she added as she turned away from him. "A tiger _is_ my favourite animal."

It was Rattrap's turn to frown. "I thought dragons were?"

"Real animal," she clarified. "Forgive me. _Real_. A dragon ain't real. It's nothing but a myth and legend that I only _wish_ were truth."

"I will tell you more about Tigatron," Optimus said. "But, first I think everyone should take the rest of the morning off."

Caitlin sighed in relief. "Good!" she clapped her hands excitedly. "I'm going to go sleep outside on the grass and soak up some sun-rays!" she declared. Then winced and rubbed at her neck. "Those beds are damaging my body more than all of my other injuries," she groaned, wincing in discomfort.

"What happened to your hand?!" Cheetor exclaimed suddenly.

Curious, she looked down at her hands. Then found what Cheetor had been so shocked about. The hand she'd punched Tarantulas with was darkly bruised. The skin was darkest where she'd impacted, obviously. "I um… kinda punched Tarantulas in the head," she muttered, turning away as she tried to hide her hand in her sleeves.

Rhinox was having none of that. He moved over and forcibly grabbed and opened her hand for inspection. Seeing the damage, he sighed and pinned her with a look she'd seen far too many times. "Do you always wind up getting hurt?" the rhino asked, tutting.

She looked away, face blank and impassive. "More or less."

Rhinox glanced up and saw her closed-off expression. Everyone saw it, but no one asked about it. Keeping a hold of her wrist, where she wasn't bruised, he lead her to the rebuild room to take a closer look. He found that, despite the look of it: it was only badly bruised. No bones were out of place. She'd just have to keep it bandaged, just in case: and it would heal just fine.

When Caitlin finally got out of the base, she set up an area with her backpack. She fell asleep in the shade of a tree, some distance from the base.

What she failed to realise, however…

Was that a Predacon was lurking in that area.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6: "Neurofen or Panadol..."**_

Tarantulas was out for a leisurely stroll while Megatron fumed about losing his precious protoform, which he'd wanted to turn into a Predacon. Of course it was his idea that Megatron had used, but the spider had decided that the more Predacons there were, the better it would be. They'd give something to occupy Megatron with. Leaving him ample time if he wanted to go on his own, like he was doing now. It was hard, being the only genius (science genius) amongst idiots, but that was the price he had to pay for his ambitions. Sighing to the air, he paused. Taking another sniff at the air, he smelt something. It was familiar to that human female…

Cackling with thought-over impulse, the spider turned into the direction of the scent.

The scent lead him to a large tree, which served as shade for the human female. She was sleeping, it appeared, curled into her backpack. He noticed with happy vengeance that the punch she'd given him, had not gone without a mark of some kind. His green eyes fell on her hand, bandaged in silver tape. "Well, well," he cackled as he transformed into his robot form. He crept closer, "It seems that the human female is _finally_ on her own!" He got closer and closer until suddenly—He found himself being lifted up into the air, help up by an invisible force. He looked around, but found nothing there. There was only the human female who lay on the ground.

Then, she rolled onto her back. "I knew I wouldn't get my peaceful afternoon!" she growled.

Tarantulas blinked in surprise as her eyes glared up at him, burning with annoyance. Slowly and leisurely, she stood to her feet. The spider began to strain against his invisibly bonds, feeling much like the fly caught in a web. But, he couldn't seem to move. However, he noticed the girl glared at him harder the more he moved. Then finally, she gripped her head. She yelped in pain and he fell to his feet. His body felt like the puppet that just had its strings cut.

Realisation hit him like a meteor.

It had been _the girl_ who'd been holding him up.

_'Strange,'_ he thought. '_Vincent hasn't even gotten that far yet. And he told me _every_ little bit of his abilities…'_

"You have the ability to move things with your mind," the spider thought out loud. "_Interesting_."

She pinned him with a '_No, duh_!' look. "Do all you Predacons _always_ state the obvious?" She seemed to get over her pain and folded her arms. She cocked her head at him as if she was truly curious about his opinion. "_Or_," she added with a smirk. "Do you all just like to hear yourselves talk?"

Tarantulas glared, but found himself amused at her reaction. So, he decided not to attack her. There were times the spider wished for conversation rather than dissection (though this was not often. It all depended on his mood.) It wouldn't be interesting if he got rid of her so early in the game. Besides… she'd be a distraction for Megatron, which would give him more time to himself. Satisfied with his thoughts, the spider approached the girl… Caitlin was her name, he believed. He noticed that she tensed. Her eyes narrowed, her fingers hovering over her guns. He pulled out his weapons, held up his arms and then threw his guns at her feet. "I don't want any trouble," he assured her.

She looked at him in disbelief—then at his weapons, then back at him. "I don't believe you," she snorted. But, she kicked his weapons back at him. Turning on her side, she glanced at him from the corner of her eyes. "However, if you do suddenly decide to attack me, just remember…" In the blink of all his eight-eyes: she had both weapons cocked and aimed at visor-screen. "I'll shoot your spider eyes outta commission, and drag the rest of ya to Dinobot," she warned.

The spider nodded. "You need not worry," he cackled, but stopped when Caitlin cocked an eyebrow at him. She didn't believe him, at all. Smart.

"Excuse me for not believing you," she drawled. "You're a spider. And I don't like spiders. On top of that, you tried to capture me last night."

Tarantulas sighed and sat down against the tree trunk. He folded his arms and started at her with his yellow optics. "Well, rest assured that I won't attack or capture you. You serve as a distraction for Megatron. A benefit for me if you are left with the Maximals."

"How _kind_ of you," she drawled. After a moment, she sat down before him. She kept her guns within easy reach and rummaged through her back. She found an apple and bit it: all the while keeping a distrustful eye on him. It was a complete minute before she figured if he wanted to attack her, he'd have done it already. That, or he was merely biding his time. So, she turned her attention to the clouds. Her senses remained completely tuned in on him, however. If he even blinked, she'd know.

"It's a nice day, isn't it?" the spider asked suddenly.

Caitlin had finished her apple. She was simply digging into the core to retrieve the seeds. Chucking the empty core over her shoulder, she glanced at him. "Indeed. Almost quiet peaceful. Despite the sordid company I have at the moment, who I still believe is about to get up and attack me at any minute."

Tarantulas snorted to himself, but he had to hand it to her. She was smart. _'But, perhaps not smart enough,'_ he thought as he reached for his gun.

"Don't even _think_ about it," her voice interrupted his thoughts.

Tarantulas noticed her glancing at him from behind a few strands of hair, which had hidden her gaze from him. Until, they had parted slightly by a breeze, revealing that she had, in fact, been staring at him this whole time. "I was just.., scratching," he said, feeling much like Sylvester the cat who got caught trying to eat Tweety by Granny.

And she was just as neither amused nor impressed. "Uhuh," she scoffed. She shook her head and blew her hair out of her face. "I believe you're having delusions of competence when it comes to the fact that you were about to shoot me, _treacherous arachnid_."

"_What_ did you say?" the spider hissed, clenching his jaws. He moved swiftly to his feet. Before she could react, she'd been picked up; her chest against his. His optics bore down on her angrily.

"Oh, don't thank me for insulting you, it was a pleasure, _believe_ _me_," she replied, smirking. Tarantulas didn't like that comment. So, he began to crash her harder into his chest. But, she simply continued smirking. "And now, I believe, you're having a temper-tantrum. You _sure_ you're not related to Terrorsaur?" she cackled, mocking his own laughter. In disgust, he threw her away. Leaning herself off the ground at her elbows, she chuckled at him. "Forgive me, I just couldn't resist."

"_Forgive me, I just couldn't resist,_" Tarantulas repeated under his breath, turning.

The spider rethought his previous decision. He should have just knocked her out and taken her to his labs. He glanced at her. She stood to her feet where she she'd fallen. She dusted off her pants to remove the dirt. The spider realised that, as he watched her, it seemed more as habit to do so; rather than because she was vain about her appearance. She and Vincent were opposite each other in that regards, the spider mused. Caitlin chuckled again then picked up her backpack. She threw it over her shoulder, stretching her arms as straps descended over her shoulders, locking into place. Then, she turned her upper body until he—and she felt—a few cracks. A measure of pleasure appeared on her face before she caught him looking at her.

Her expression closed instantly. She folded her arms again and shifted forward, sliding her hands into her pockets. "Well, I could almost say it was amusing to be conversational with a spider," she said conversationally, but dismissively. "But that'd be a lie. I've gotta run, now. I'll be seeing you again in the near future, no doubt."

Tarantulas folded his arms over as he watched the human disappear in the distance. An amused, maniac smile appeared on his strange face.

Yes, he thought. This human girl of the Maximal's was going to be quite distracting for Megatron.

He only wondered how he himself was going to ignore her allure, which he was sure she didn't realise she even had. It was not a desire of her body or her mind. No, nothing as benign as that. It was the allure to _conquer _and mayhap_ destroy_ the spirit within her. Predacons valued and craved domination of any kind. And when someone like Caitlin came along… it was an irresistible challenge. _'Hmm, I might even use that,_' the spider smirked and headed back to the Dark Syde.

Caitlin's thoughts on the spider was that: he was a confusing arachnid she'd rather keep a 5-mile radius from. However... Perhaps he might be prudent to get to '_know_' as it were. For one thing, at least she'd know if he was concocting a plan.

_'Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. Just try to remember not to piss them off enough to forget they want to play nice…'_

* * *

Caitlin's migraine was beginning to worsen. But, she supposed, it could be worse. It appeared Megatron was annoyed about something or had other pressing matters, because she met no other Predacon resistance to her existence while she walked home. Well… apart from Tarantulas. Who didn't have much of a resistance to her existence, so to speak_. 'Man that was weird!'_ Putting the thought of finding herself comfortable around a damned Predacon-spider aside, she kicked at a stone. However, before she reached the same stone to kick it once more, she froze. Turning her head, she heard the telltale approach of an incoming speeding, yellow bullet with growling green eyes… that belonged to one Maximal…

"What's the rush, Cheetor?" she called out, but regretted yelling immediately. She winced and rubbed at her temples, pained by the sound of her own voice.

The cat abruptly switched directions. He came to a sudden, cloudy stop before her. "I was just…out…for a run," he panted heavily. "Do you wanna join me?"

She looked at his feline face. Then her ears picked up the sound of someone approaching. She turned to see Rattrap and Dinobot were not too far behind. She glanced back at Cheetor and shook her head. She turned to face the Axalon, which happened to be where the rat and raptor were approaching. "Nah," she told the cat. "Some other time, maybe." He nodded and returned to his run. Swiftly, Caitlin spun on her heel and continued on her course, at an angle which would take her a long time to reach home. Without a single glance at the approaching mechs, she hurried past.

However, the two of them turned as one… smelling the scent of Tarantulas on her.

"Did you, by any chance, bump into Tarantulas?" Rattrap asked her as she continued her single-minded march. She didn't reply, groaning silently as her head sent a painful jab through her mind. This of course, annoyed the rat. He hurried after her, having already switched to his robot form. "Well, _did'cha_?"

Annoyed at his tone, she turned on her heel and grasped his shoulders to stop him crashing into her. "Yes, I bumped into Tarantulas. Did anything happen out of the ordinary? Yes," she continued, stepping forward. Rattrap had to step backwards at her approach, startled by the focused intensity of her glare. "He simply talked to me, rather than shoot me or try to capture me. I seem to be used as a means to get his '_alone time with experiments'_ while Megatron is busy using the rest of his numbers out to catch me, or whatever else that purple-and-green, tyranno-tyrant does!"

"You didn't shoot him?!" Rattrap exclaimed in an accusatory tone.

She growled and glared. "Don't think to question what I did or what I do, Rattrap. I make no _alliances_, only _understandings_. If they _think_ it's an alliance, it's _their_ choice. To me, it's a way to get what I want while getting them to leave me alone. In this case Tarantulas was only there to chat—as it were. And I was too tired and lethargic to do anything else. In fact, I think I've formed a migraine. And I seek a dark, _quiet_ room, to ease the pain. Unfortunately for me, you robots don't have painkillers. So, I have to do this the old fashioned way… I _have_ to _wait_ it out!" With that, she spun around again – only this time, she gave into her desire to grip her head.

The world tilted on its axis – and she found she couldn't move properly, and promptly fell to the floor.

"Never mind that then. I'm staying here. Tell the world it can go fuck itself while I'm gone!"

Then Caitlin lost herself to the painless realm of reliving unconsciousness…

Blinking, the rat and raptor stared down at her – their processors having been forced to reboot themselves.

Rattrap shuffled awkwardly, snapping both of them out of their trance. "I think we should get her back to da Base. I'd do it myself, but I know how you dislike babysitting Spots."

Dinobot growled, but wordlessly reached down and plucked the unconscious girl from the ground. He swung her over his back, feeling her arms wrap instinctively around his neck. Then he was off, pelting at the ground: giving a new meaning to the words: _'speed of a velcioraptor...'_ The person, who'd first said that, had obviously never come across a raptor who was, in fact, a Predacon-turned-Maximal named Dinobot in disguise.

* * *

Dinobot appeared at the Axalon with his unconscious bundle; and went in search of Rhinox. While he may not like the peaceful rhino, he had no choice. It was obvious that the girl needed attention of the medical kind. He was not suited to run a diagnostic scan. That was the rhino's area of expertise. Approaching the medical bay, he found Rhinox fiddling with something, a concentrating frown on his lips. He growled—the rhino spun, startled and faced him. "What are _you_ doing in here?" he asked, until he saw the unconscious bundle carried on the raptor's back. He sighed with feeling and gestured for Dinobot to lower Caitlin onto the table. "What's happened to her _this_ time?"

Dinobot released his cargo and stepped out of the way, allowing Rhinox to run his routine diagnostic scan. He folded his arms over his chest as he considered what to say. "We came across her as she was heading back here," he began. "When the vermin and I smelt Tarantulas' scent on her. We stopped her. She appeared to be in pain. She admitted to having a migraine… whatever that is…"

Rhinox looked up at that. "A migraine is an extremely painful headache," he informed him. Finishing his scan, he leant back. "It comes with stress or by some other means. She's going to need a dark room and complete silence until she has gotten over it."

"Neurofen or Panadol… or maybe even morphine, would be nice," Caitlin muttered. Both rhino and raptor looked down at the bleary-eyed girl. Lethargically, she pressed a hand over her eyes. Wincing, she pushed herself into a sitting position. However, as soon as she sat upright, her face turned pale. "I don't feel so good… I think I'm, gonna—" Before she could even finish her sentence, Rhinox was forced to step out of the way while she vomited onto the floor over the medical table. The rhino held her neck as she brought up the contents of her stomach and… Bless his Spark; he kept her hair out of the way.

Dinobot began to look squeamish himself. Reluctantly, he found himself impressed by the rhino's impassive and patient expression whilst he tended to the sick girl. "I will… take my leave," he growled as the girl continued to hurl. "Perhaps I will find something for the girl to eat other than her fruit."

"That would be a good idea," Rhinox said. "She needs iron… and try getting some fish too."

Caitlin groaned as she vomited again. Why must she be tortured so? She hadn't killed any kittens in a past life, had she?

While Rhinox rubbed her back gently—it wasn't long until the vomiting eased. Finally, she was about to hold in what was left of her stomach. Which was finally, because she felt like her stomach had tried to uproot itself up her throat. Groaning, she pushed herself up shakily, but couldn't get far. The rhino caught her in his massive arms and plucked her easily off the medical table. He sidestepped her puddle (river) of vomit as he carried her to her room.

"Thank you," she muttered. "And say that to the irritable raptor too if I'm still asleep when he gets back, for me please."

"I'll tell him," Rhinox assured. "If he'll listen. Now, while I realise you don't like being ordered. I must suggest that you stay here for the time being. You're very weak at the moment."

"I kinda figured that when I got carried like a weak damsel," Caitlin muttered dryly and Rhinox chuckled. "But thanks for that. You should warn Cheetor too."

"I was already thinking that," Rhinox replied, smiling.

Caitlin returned that smile and allowed Rhinox to tuck her in. She closed her eyes, "Night Uncle Rhinox," she whispered, half-coherent.

Rhinox paused at the door. He glanced over his shoulder at the sleeping female. She was still sick. Pale and feverish, but she calmly rested on her berth and tucked comfortably in her sleeping bag. Her face was relieved of almost all pain and stress… and annoyance from having to deal with the other mechs. He smiled. "Goodnight," he replied softly and walked out of the room.

* * *

Later, found Dinobot had enlisted the help of Cheetor and Rattrap… into fishing. The act itself was enough that, if Caitlin had been there, she would have taken a lot of photos. To preserve. For all time. For now and forever! It was just too bad she didn't know… At least, that's what Cheetor thought when they found a large enough are for all of them to search for eatable fish.

It was no time at all before a silent competition erupted; and the goal? Who could catch the biggest fish, of course…

Cheetor took to using his tail as a fishing rod as he waited for a bite. While it was a little painful… Okay! It was a lot painful. But he was in a competition! Rattrap was further up stream, near a group of rocks. He waited patiently amongst them for a fish to approach. And when they did… well. It was pretty self explanatory. Dinobot, however, had fashioned himself a spear. He took to walking in the water, concentrating below and waiting for the fish to approach him. the raptor stayed perfectly still during those moments, completely ready to lash out at any given moment…

The fish swam in the stream.

Three unknowing of their oncoming fates of being used as a meal, once again.

* * *

Caitlin woke up to something delicious. Her empty stomach growled. She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side, and found a plate of perfectly cooked fish. Cheetor was sitting at her side, looking down in mope-mode, but upon seeing her: he brightened up. "You're up!" he exclaimed, but toned his voice down his voice as she hissed him to be quiet. "Sorry. Dinobot, Rattrap and I went fishing. But it was Dinobot's first that was deemed… eatable," he muttered with another pout.

She smiled and rubbed at his head. "That's alright. At least you can say you tried. Now… who cooked it?"

"That'd be me," Rattrap spoke up. Caitlin turned to see him leaning in the doorway, a pleased smirk on his face. "Dino-butt was going to give ya the fish raw."

She made a face at that, but chuckled. "Well, thank you Rattrap," she managed to be polite – then lost her control on her hunger. Taking a breath, she fell upon the fish, distractedly finding it as she devoured it. Well… more like _inhaled_ it. When she was finally done, she pushed the plate away, feeling quite full. "That was delicious!" she said then cleaned up her mess, stood to her feet: but Cheetor grabbed the plate before she got too far.

"I'll do that. You should rest!" he said, pushing her back down on the berth.

Caitlin frowned, but allowed the cat to push her down. So, she sat on the bed, back against the wall and folded her arms, snorting; "And people call _me_ motherly!"

Rattrap snorted to himself and rolled his eyes. "I find that hard ta believe!"

She cocked a brow. "I've been told by many a stranger that I'm a great mother. Of course… what they failed to realise that it was my _brothers'_ I was entertaining while my mother rested on my trips to the park." Folding her arms, she leant further back and lifted one leg to get more comfortable.

Rattrap blinked in surprise, both from the fact she'd given him a glimpse of her life; and also from the fact she'd been considered 'motherly'. But now, now that he thought about it. She was quite protective of Cheetor. She would even take to helping the cat here and then when others were too busy (or when she herself wasn't too busy.) He blinked. "You think of Cheetor as a brother, don't' cha?"

Caitlin blinked up from where she'd been starting at her bruised hand and nodded. "Indeed the hyperactive motor-mouth has grown on me," she said, lips quirking amusedly upwards.

"When'd cha start thinkin' of him like that?" Rattrap asked, slowly approaching her. With a pointed look, he waited for Caitlin to nod before he gently took her hand, unwrapped the bandages of her hand to inspect the damage.

"After he'd come back from the Pred's base when he disobeyed an order from Optimus 'bout those relay posts," she admitted. "It wasn't hard to think of him as a brother. Since we sometimes share the same room," she continued, wincing as the bandage was pulled off.

The rat frowned at the damage and at the realisation that within almost or so, she'd found Cheetor to be like a brother. He wondered what she thought of the others. More particularly, himself. He pulled her hand closer to him, forcing Caitlin to learn closer to him. Until she shuffled forward so that she faced him fully. Knee met knee. "You really don't keep anything back when you hit at something, don't ya?" he muttered, inspecting the purple bruises.

She simply shrugged in reply, looking at her hand to disguise the fact she was flustered around the mech. "Would you?" she asked him with a cocked brow. "If you were being manhandled by a gluttonous arachnid?"

He paused and smirked. "Nah, I'd probably would've shot him," he replied. He tugged her hand closer, causing their faces to suddenly lose distance. Caitlin froze instantly at the serious expression that Rattrap held. It also contained something else… something that she couldn't name. "If I'd been dar… you wouldn' ave got'n hurt at all," he continued. He reached out with his spare hand to tuck a stray strand behind her ears in a sudden, intimate gesture.

Freeze…. What. _The_. **_Fuck_**.

"Um, I… um…" she muttered awkwardly, moving backwards. Rattrap released her hand. "I think I should re-bandage this," she continued and jumped off the berth, flying straight past him. She hardly looked back as she retreated beyond his sight. The rat continued to simply stare at the wall where she'd occupied, and didn't move until Cheetor appeared…

"Where's Caitlin?"

Rattrap turned around. Without a single word, he walked to his room. The door closed behind him as quickly as he had entered.

* * *

Caitlin glowered as she stared down at an ants nest. She was quite tempted to give it a good kick. But, the fact that such tiny ants had very-sharp, very-painful pincers: had stopped her from doing as such. So, she had kicked at rocks instead as she stormed below the part of the Axalon that served as the Control Room.

She was angry.

She was scared.

She was confused.

She was confused because she was angry and she was scared because she was confused.

She was confused because she was scared and she was scared because she was angry.

And she was angry because she was scared and she was confused as to why she was confused.

So, basically anyone who ever dared to think about approaching her at this moment; would receive a reaction that would scar them for life… and into the afterlife.

* * *

When Optimus appeared in the Control Room, he found Rhinox staring through the cameras. There, he could see Caitlin storming a march-trench into the dirt in the shadow of the Axalon. Her fists were clenched as she stormed her way back and forth – and back and forth. Her mouth formed incomprehensible words and sentences that flied to fast for him to see. As he came to a stop behind the rhino, the ape could only ask one question. "What's the matter with Caitlin?"

Rhinox groaned. He looked away from the screen, optics spinning. He was glad for the distraction from the hypnotic movements of the girl, who flared fire out of her hands every second click or so… which reminded him that Caitlin still hadn't talked to him about that… Shaking his head, the rhino looked up at the ape. "I don't know," he sighed with feeling. "I found her like this an hour earlier." He glanced back down at her then at Optimus. "I don't think it's such a great idea to approach her at the moment."

Optimus, looking down at the angry and confused expression on the girl's face, silent agreed.

* * *

It was well into the night, when Caitlin deemed it time to head back inside. But, her approach to the base was undermined as a certain chest-plate stood, unmoved—and in her way. Looking upwards, she caught the red-eyed gaze of no return. Her mouth dropped open in mute surprise, hands spread over his chest place where she was leaning against him. Neither one moved for a second, before Dinobot seemed to shake himself out of a trance. He pushed her back a step, but kept his claws on her shoulders. He leant down, "You have been skipping your training," he said gruffly. "We shall have to rectify that tomorrow."

Turning on his heel, he turned and walked back inside.

Caitlin blinked. Then… her mind screeched. _'What the slagging hell of a deep pit—was that?!_ _The saurian didn't need to do _THAT_—to gain my attention! And he bloody well knows that!'_

An image of her herself, the _traitorous_ part of her, tapping her chin thoughtfully; entered her mind. _'Perhaps he wished to see if you were alight.'_

_'You keep outta this!'_ she snapped to that half. She had an image of throttling that part of herself back and forth. (But damn if that part of herself didn't stop grinning!) _'I don't need _no-one_ falling for me. Or _me_ falling for _them_. Love is overrated and more trouble than it's worth… I can't even _believe_ that I trust all of them so quickly!'_

The voice of reason within her chose that moment to spoke up_. 'It's better than trusting those Predacons.'_ An image of herself with a high-ponytail and glasses snapped the book it was holding shut. Leaning forward, it poked her in the chest, ignoring the snarky part of herself that was being strangled. _'They're the threat. _Not_ the Maximals. Remember that.'_

_'Well then stop insinuating that I love Dinobot and Rattrap!'_ Caitlin roared, throwing her hands up in aggravation.

The snarky part of herself chuckled. _'You're words, not mine!' _she chuckled, waving her finger—but retreated before Caitlin could even imagine herself tearing her head off.

_'You are me anyways!'_ Caitlin whined, stamping her foot.

However, she was met with only silence. The voices in her head had wisely retreated. Bastards!

Blink.

Blink.

Her shoulders drooped. "I hate my life. It'd be easier if humans weren't so-so… _emotional_ all the time. Why couldn't I be a male?"

Blink.

Blink.

"Scratch that! Males suck!"

With that, she promptly returned to the Axalon. She avoided the doors of Dinobot and Rattrap – and bolted into her room, covering herself with her sleeping bag. She was adamant not to think any more of what feelings she may (or may not) have for the insipid rat and that saurian-slagging raptor!

…

…

Okay, so not thinking about them was a little harder than she'd thought…

But did they _have_ to be so loud when they were arguing?


	8. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7: "Who I am inside"**_

Caitlin sighed to the crisp morning air. She opened her eyes just as the sun winked from behind the horizon. Closing her eyes, she concentrated on her hands. Held within her palms was a flame. She flared more between her fingertips and tried to group it with the larger ball. It was frustrating because at any moment, she might lose control. And it was quite an effective way to learn control. She was getting better at being clam and using fire—rather than having it blazing up when she was angry. It was then it was uncontrollable and potentially dangerous to her friends. She had had been working on it all night through. Until she'd decided that it was time to rest.

Headaches and migraines, it seemed, were the price to pay for overusing her powers. Like the Maximals and Predacons, she needed time to '_recharge'_ her abilities, as it were.

Breathing heavily through her nose, she released the flame. Looking around, she smiled. It was quite peaceful today. At least, the peace might last for a while. She hoped it would. Leaping off the side of the bridge, she concentrated on the air to cushion her fall. Ever since she'd done that when that alien probe had come along, she'd been trying to repeat the action. Usually, she failed. Miserably. She'd acquired a few bruises from attempting to aim at the ground and miss. Like the time she'd rolled off the ship to get away from Tarantulas.

However, over time, it had become easier for her to '_fall gently'._ But she could only do it when she was concentrating.

She had been practising to make it second nature to her to use her abilities. Water was much easier to wield? Why? She didn't know. All she knew that she had to work on concentrating to get this right. She didn't want to accidentally hurt her friends if and whenever she lost control of her powers Fire flared up when she was angry. Water seemed to be easiest, she figured; since she was usually go-with-the flow. The typical water-like characteristics you find on a personality sit, but real.

Fire flared when she was angry, as she said. It was a rush of energy that demanded destruction. She wanted people to hurt. But, then she found fire also liked to play. Whether it desired ill will or friendly fun; was entirely up to her mood at the time. Mostly, it had a vindictive nature just like she was sadistic and full of wrath when other's irked her ire.

Water flowed when she was peaceful or even when she was upset. It felt nice to indulge her senses amongst the water. The feelings she got from using this ability were both soothing and seductive. There was an allure, much like fire, the water held. It could be as sadistic as fire, but it's version of retribution could be cold and suffocating.

Air blew faster when she was extremely happy or feeling mischievous. She felt like she could run for miles and never stop. She could expand her senses and dance with the trees as the wind carried her worries and cares with it. But it was powerful. It could uproot those trees very easily. It could be a force of destruction never expected until the final moment before the calm came.

Earth drummed when she was feeling particularly stubborn. She felt strong, resolute and immovable when using earth. Like nothing could hurt her. It was in earth that she was most protective of others. She was down-to-earth and realistic. But, this stubbornness had a rage of its own. She would not back down and hurt others as much as herself in her blind rage.

And sometimes… she found that she could use just about all of them at any time; when she concentrated hard enough, of course.

But, there are two sides to every coin. Just as something is virtuous, it can be full of sin. Each element she wielded possessed these qualities. Just as she herself did. There was a danger to using her elements. She did not know whether the elements could overpower her mind or emotions. However, in saying so, she _needed_ to make this second nature to her. She couldn't rely on guns or human strength. Those were easily stepped around. And when you took in account the Maximals and Predacons, her strengths compared to theirs, was nothing more dangerous than a domestic dog to a human. Sometimes the dog could hurt/maim/kill if provoked enough or for some reason, did so anyways. But, humans, in the end; held all the power over the dog. They decided if it lived or died.

_'I hate my pessimism sometimes,'_ she thought. _'Still, I'll have to be careful not to expose everything I can do to the Preds. Especially Vinnie…'_

Sighing, she glanced back at the Axalon. For a moment, she considered heading back: then abruptly turned away towards the forests.

_'You're avoiding them,'_ a voice spoke up in her head.

"Stupid thoughts," she muttered under her breath.

But, she couldn't deny it. She _was_ avoiding both the rat and raptor; and had been doing so for a while now.

For two weeks, as a matter of fact…

Finally, Caitlin came to a stop at a rock formation in the middle of the forest. She entered the small, shallow cave and took a seat inside it.

She rummaged through her backpack and found her IPOd. She'd forgotten it was there. She opened it up…

"OH MY LOVING SOUL! IT WORKS! THE FATES LOVE ME!"

Coughing, she glanced around. No one was around. Oh thank you sweet mercy! It was even fully charged!

With a pleased sigh, she rummaged through her list and found a song that she wanted to sing to. She might not be the best singer in the world, but she'd been told her voice was clear. Not Christina Aguilera or Delta Goodrem good, but good enough not to sound like a singing, dying cat.

Then she found the sing. It was from a Disney Movie. Mulan: Reflection.

* * *

Some distance away from where Caitlin had come to a stop...

A certain rat and raptor were out for a stroll of the forest.

However, both were walking from different directions.

One was in a pouting mood.

The other was in a serious frame of mind.

Then, they heard something they had never before heard.

…And it drew them to it like a moth to flame.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Caitlin closed her eyes. She decided to just relax and wind down for a bit. Singing would help. Since she didn't have any paper to do anything else. Besides, wasn't singing often used as an emotional outlet for people? If not, then perhaps it was just a way to show the world their own emotions. In a creative manner that others could connect and relate to. And get paid for doing so. A win-win if she ever saw one…

_"Look at me_  
_I will never pass for a perfect bride_  
_Or a perfect daughter_  
_Can it be_  
_I'm not meant to play this part_  
_Now I see_  
_That if I were truly to be myself_  
_I would break my fam'ly's heart_  
_Who is that girl I see_  
_Staring straight_  
_Back at me_  
_Why is my reflection someone_  
_I don't know?_  
_Somehow I cannot hide_  
_Who I am_  
_Though I've tried_  
_When will my reflection show_  
_Who I am inside?_  
_When will my reflection show_  
_Who I am inside?"_

"I didn't know that you could sing," came a bewildered voice.

She shot to her feet, spun around: and lashed out with her hands. Rattrap was only given a moment's thought to think: _'Oh slag_!' before he was sent to the ground. Caitlin gasped and bolted over, checking to see if he was alright. "You alright? Slaggit! Don't you know not to surprise people like that?!" she exclaimed angrily. The rat smirked up at her, winking. She swatted him over the head, stood up and backed away. A light blush on her cheeks. "How long were you two standing there?" she demanded, spotting Dinobot trying to step out of her sight.

The raptor paused and his hulking shape stepped inside the small cave. "Long enough to shoot you, if you were the enemy," he said, his beast-form eyes looking at her with an unidentified emotion warring in his eyes. She had to turn away from that gaze, feeling awkward.

"So," Rattrap drawled. He leant back on his rodent legs and placed his hands on his hips. "You gonna tell me how long ya been singin' for?"

"I'll tell you," she said. Rattrap leant forward eagerly, only to have Caitlin smirk into his face. "When _you_ hug Dinobot of your own free will," she added maliciously and turned away.

Rattrap froze at that. "No chance!"

"Precisely," she drawled and pocketed her IPod. She glanced at the two of them and then turned away. "Any reason you two are out here?"

"Well, I was out on a stroll," Rattrap replied the same time Dinobot gruffly said: "I was out on a patrol."

"Well then," Caitlin said as she stepped towards the exit. "I shall be taking me leave then. I was heading back, anyways."

Both raptor and rat couldn't get a word in as she rushed away. She left them staring after her, until they turned towards each other—and began to start their daily verbal fight.

_Anything_ to keep their minds off the girl…

"It's _your_ fault she ran off!" Rattrap exclaimed, stabbing a digit into the raptor's face.

"I beg to differ, _rodent_!" Dinobot retorted, "She was probably running from _your_ atrocious scent!"

Well… anything to lay blame on the other was close enough…

* * *

Caitlin returned to the base, panting a little from her run. That was close!

_'You're such a coward,'_ her mind snorted.

_'Fuck off,'_ she retorted aptly, giving herself the finger.

However, she was interrupted from her inner-argument; to find Optimus had decided to bring the newcomer to the Axalon. Tigatron stood awkwardly inside the ship. He looked uncomfortable inside the structure. She supposed that was normal for him, considering he'd spent the majority of his new life outside. She smiled and as those green eyes turned to her, and waved. "You must be Tigatron," she said, keeping her respective distance. This was the first time she'd met him, after all. She wasn't sure how he'd react to her. "I'm Caitlin."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," the white tiger replied. His voice was deep, smooth and easy to listen to. He'd make a wonderful story teller, she thought.

Caitlin smiled in reply. "So… how have you been handling being a Maximal?"

"I am surviving," the tiger replied with a smile. "But, I do not like this… structure. It feels like a cage. An animal like me does not do well in a cage."

"Tell me about it," she rolled her eyes. But, she smiled innocently at Optimus' miffed expression. She turned to Tigatron and gestured around her, "I'm usually grounded to this area. I hardly go out, and when I do: it's usually cos I sneak off… or I'm in the company of another member of the Maximal's."

"I believe they are simply worried about you," Tigatron said, smiling at Optimus and Rhinox.

She folded her arms over her chest. "Sometimes they take it a little too far." She turned the ape, cocking her brow. "Is there anything that needs to be done outside, Optimus?"

Optimus frowned and folded his own arms, giving her a pointed look. "You've been finding any excuse to stay out of the past for the past two weeks," he stated. He watched her expression become impassive, stubbornly unmoving. "But," he sighed, rolling his eyes to the heavens as if seeking for aid. "I suppose you can accompany Tigatron out on his walk. He's going to be taking a patrol around the forest. I know for a fact, you like to go there during the night." He frowned at her smirk," When you're _supposed_ to be in the base."

She didn't object to the statement. But, she nodded and turned to Tigatron. "So, tiger. Ready to get going?"

The tiger bowed his head regally. "After you, my lady," he said pleasantly

She blushed at the compliment, but entered the lift first smoothly. She sent the ape and rhino a wave goodbye as she disappeared from their view. "So," she said once they'd reached the ground. "Where were you thinking of heading off to? There's a lot of places you can go and see? Nothing like the mountains, I'm sure. But not too different, I think."

The tiger hummed in thought. Then looked up at her, "I was thinking of finding routes that would make it easier for me to travel, when I am needed by the Maximals," he replied. "I am stationed in the mountains, as a scout. But I want to know how to get to areas quickly."

She hummed in reply. "You'll have to figure that out on your own, I'm afraid. But, I _do_ know a few shortcuts through the forest."

Then, Tigatron paused. "Who is that?" the tiger asked, looking into the distance.

Caitlin turned her gaze where he indicated and found Dinobot racing towards them. She sighed. "That… would be Dinobot." She kept watching and noticed another form appearing behind the raptor, chasing after Dinobot's whip-like tail. "And that, behind him, would be Rattrap. You've met Rattrap, haven't you?" she asked.

Tigatron nodded and they stood, waiting as the rat and raptor came to a sudden stop before them. Rattrap frowned, noticing Caitlin was beside the tiger. He looked between the two, then turned to the tiger. "What are you doing here, Tigatron?"

"Optimus decided that I needed to learn about this part of the planet," Tigatron replied. "And I thought it would be a good idea."

"Then why is the girl with you?" Dinobot asked gruffly, glancing over at the impassive female beside him.

"She decided to join me," Tigatron replied, unknowing that he was about to set off something he would have no chance at stopping.

Rattrap narrowed his optics on Caitlin. "I thought you were heading back to base…"

Caitlin returned the stare impassively. "Upon seeing Tigatron, I decided I might as well keep the tiger company. Besides… there's nothing much else going on. And you two have duties to attend to." She folded her arms over her chest, jutting her chin out stubbornly at Rattrap's growing glare.

"You could have accompanied _us_ on _our_ patrol," the rat hissed hotly, on the verge of hissing at her.

Caitlin snorted and rolled her eyes. "And _I_ would have subjected to listen to _you two_ quarrel all day. And I had _no_ desire or any intention in doing so."

Dinobot growled. "So you chose to accompany the tiger instead!" The raptor folded his arms, looming over her impressively, but Caitlin didn't back down. Instead, her spine seemed to straighten. Her eyes narrowed darkly, hazel orbs flashing. Raptor-eyes narrowed shrewdly on her attempt to hold back her anger. "If I weren't mistaken, _girl_," he added with a snarl, purposely drawing out the last word, "I'd say you were avoiding us."

Caitlin's attempt of silence broke. "I'm avoiding the confrontation of you two," she bit back. "Now, go complete your patrol. I think Optimus will be contacting you soon, in regards to a mission he might have for you." With a dismissive sneer, she sidestepped past him and continued walking. Resolutely, she did not glance back once behind her.

Not wishing to be left alone with the two mechs, Tigatron quickly, and silently, followed behind her.

When they were a few miles away from Dinobot and Rattrap, Tigatron turned his attention to the human. She was staring intensely before her. Her eyes flashed with varying, warring her emotions. Her facial expression shifted and alternated to accompany those emotions. Until, finally, her face settled on a hardened glare. The tiger thought that, if it had that ability: that glare could set anything it came across into flames…

He was surprised that his wry thought, gave way to a rock covered moss: was set alight.

Leaping back from it, Tigatron gave a startled yelp. He turned to Caitlin, but found her holding her head, groaning and wincing as she massaged her temples. Then his eyes widened in realisation. "_You_ did that?" he exclaimed, looking between her and the rock.

She smirked in reply. "Yes. I've been practicing." She frowned as she glared at the smouldering rock. She raised her hand over it and stared intensely at it. Then the flames died down, leaving smoke to rise from the blackened rock. Lowering her arm, she looked at with an intrigued expression.

"That is quite the gift," Tigatron said, scanning the damage that that had been done before she'd extinguished the flames.

She shrugged nonchalantly. "I have to concentrate, most of to them to use it. Most of the time I forget that I _can_ do these things."

Tigatron hummed thoughtfully then smiled as he came up with an idea. "Perhaps you should find a quiet place to meditate upon your abilities."

She sent him a dry, blank look. She gestured behind her, stabbing her thumb over her shoulder. "Have you _seen_ the type of company I keep?"

The tiger froze, remembering the glares of the rat and raptor. "Point taken," he conceded, and they continued their walk…

…Unaware of the oncoming fliers.

* * *

"Come on, Optimus!" Rattrap exclaimed, gesturing wildly with his hands. "Redo the roster! I can't keep working with this slagger!"

Optimus had been listening to this for the past few minutes. The rat and the raptor had come home together, arguing as usual. That had been normal enough, but what had gotten to the ape today: was that the both of them were arguing together, to him, for a change. However, he was not in charge of the rosters anymore. That had been Caitlin's area of expertise. At first, he'd been reluctant for the girl to partner the Maximal Spy and Former Predacon together. No one was blind to the aggression between the two of them. But Caitlin persuaded him to allow it. And she'd been right. The two of them would do their job, albeit with complaints and arguments on both side, but more often than not: they managed to complete their missions. They weren't exactly a team, but neither were they enemies anymore. Not truly.

"If you have any complaints, you will have to take it up with Caitlin," Optimus replied exasperatedly. He sighed for the tenth time of the argument that had erupted once the rat and raptor had returned. They'd found Caitlin had gone for a walk with the tiger. Apparently, neither one of them liked this. The reason for which, only Primus knew.

Dinobot decided it was his turn, it seemed; because the raptor leant forward over the console, a glare in his red optics. "Why would you allow the girl outside?" he growled. "The Predacons have increased activity." And this was true. Waspinator and Terrorsaur, especially, had increased their daily patrols near Maximal Territory.

Optimus sighed. He gripped his head just like Caitlin did when she got a headache, especially when around either the rat or raptor. He fancied he was forming a migraine of his own. How did Caitlin deal or suffer either of these two as much as she did? The ape frowned as a thought gripped him. He was confused. He did not know what was going on between the girl and the two mechs that were down each other's throats more often than not. But it appeared, if he wasn't mistaken, that both of them cared or at least felt responsible, for the girl. Shoving the distressing and confusing though out of his processor, he looked at the two mechs with a frown. "She is with Tigatron," the ape pointed out. He folded his arms and stared at Dinobot intently, searching for something that might point anything what the raptor was thinking or feeling. "And you, _yourself_, have allowed her to accompany you on patrols, Dinobot. I know _for a fact_, that she has helped you get rid of the Predacons before you both returned back to base!"

Dinobot growled. His eyes flashed dangerously green, but he didn't deny the fact. Resolutely, he turned tail and before Optimus could call him back: he stalked off. "I shall speak with the girl about the matter of importance," he growled gruffly for the ape to be heard, and disappeared.

Rattrap glared at the raptor's back, but when he swiftly returned his attention back to Optimus: he found the ape had disappeared at the opportune moment given to him to get "busy". Promptly, Optimus ignored all other attempts the rat made to gain his attention. With a disgruntled sound at the back of his voice processor, Rattrap gave up. He followed behind the raptor to his own room, grumbling along the way. "He better not pull any moves on 'er!" he hissed as he neared his room.

"As if _you_ could sweet talk her either, vermin!" Dinobot sneered from his open door, having heard the rat rant.

Rattrap spun around to glare heatedly at the raptor. The mech in question stood smirking at him from the safety of his doorway (not that he really needed it, but the rat had a few minor explosives that worked well in close quarters). Dinobot leant was leaning against the frame in his robot form, red eyes gleaming smugly. This, of course, set fire to Rattrap's antagonistic nature. "As if _you'd_ be able to do any better, Chopperface!" he retorted. "Your temper would turn her off!"

Dinobot was all smugness as he leant forward a little. "Not when the girl' is in battle," he smirked, "She can be quite… vigorous."

Rattrap froze, staring at the slagging saurian. Then he processed what he had said and grinded his teeth together in irritation. "Well at least I'm around her much more than you are!"

The raptor drew himself to his full height. "I beg to differ, rodent!"

"We'll see about that, Chopperface!" the rat swore and they sent heated glares towards the other, both unwilling to back down. Finally, however, Rattrap turned away. He lowered his gaze, suddenly feeling his pessimism and the reality of it all, catch up with him. "Stripes'll probably be more to her liking," he sighed. "He ain't as irritating as the two of us."

The raptor snorted. "It's you that grates on people's nerves, vermin." But the insult lacked its usual harsh tones.

Rattrap sneaked a peak up at the thoughtful raptor. Then his optics narrowed. "What the 'ell we doin', contemplating' together?!" he exclaimed. "You're just a slaggin Predacon, lizard lips!"

Dinobot's optic's flared. "I'm retiring to my quarters," he growled. He gave the rat a threatening glare as he retreated into his room. "Keep you tone to a minimum while I recharge, vermin. Or I'll be having a new welcoming mat for my floor!"

"Why you…" Rattrap growled, but the raptor had already disappeared behind his door. All conversation between them was closed. Sighing, the rat went into his room, trying to deny further that he didn't like the human girl. But, he couldn't deny it any longer. He loved the girl. He cared for her, fretted when she was hurt or missing. So, that must be love, right? And perhaps he had messed up when he'd blatantly showed her that he did. What he still couldn't get over was the fact she had some sort of feelings towards the irate raptor as well…

Inside his own room, Dinobot glared at a spot on the wall. He glared at it as if, by his will alone: he could have burnt two holes through it. It was taking a great deal of effort not two switch on his laser beams to do just that; as a way to curb his irritation and anger. He couldn't _deny it_ to himself, but by the Inferno, he would _keep it_ to himself. He cared for the human girl, very strongly. She was perhaps the only one that he could stand. She respected his distance, but didn't dare step on egg shells around him either. So yes, he cared for her. And, if he could help it: Megatron would never ever learn that little fact. If his former leader ever did, he dared not think what he might do to her…

With that decision, Dinobot swiftly switched to his beast form. He settled on the floor and closed his arms. He needed some time to recharge.

Worrying after that girl was more trouble then he would have thought.

How did Maximals deal with these sentimental feelings?

* * *

Out in the forest, Caitlin and Tigatron were running for cover from Terrorsaur and Waspinator – who, annoyingly, chasing after them. They would have been dealt with ages ago, easily. But, Tigatron's weapons had been badly damaged. It told a lot that he was only just keeping up with the quickly tiring human beside him. As it was, Caitlin was between two extremes of her emotional wavelength: fear for Tigatron and annoyance at the situation she was in. Looking back behind her, she spied Terrorsaur's red form closing it. He, thankfully, didn't have Vincent on his back. What a switch in normality! She was almost offended…

"We have to get rid of them," Caitlin yelled out, her right hand gripped like boa constrictor on Tigatron's arm. "But… I'm so… tired. I… can't even… make a… spark!"

"Energon!" Tigatron suggested. "We need… to get closer to… an abundant… Energon source. That… would cause them… to transform to… their beast modes!"

Her eyes brightened despite her exhaustion. "That's a good idea," but then she frowned as pessimism grasped her. "But they can still… pick me up… if they flew down… to grab me."

"Then we have… to head somewhere… that will be… difficult for them," Tigatron replied, panting heavily.

"TIGATRON LOOK OUT!"

From a long distance away from the Axalon and the Dark-Syde: a sudden explosion flashed went, sending a violent shockwave through the earth.


	9. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8: "Malfunction **_**mech**_**anisms"**_

Somewhere out on the plain, in a circle of charred earth: four forms lay unconscious. They had been thus throughout the night. Miraculously, none of them had been attacked by nocturnal predators in their weak state. As dawn peaked over the horizon, one moved. With a guttural groan, hazel eyes blinked open. Moving she lay on her back, she painted. Her eyes were dizzy and feverish. She attempted to sit up, but was too disorientated to do so. Gasping, after a few more times, she managed to push herself up. Then Caitlin looked around to inspect the damage that the blast had thrown across the area.

The earth that had been around when Terrorsaur had missed Tigatron, and had instead hit a large pile of hidden Energon: had been completely shaken up and charred. It was as if a hot-red fire had been burnt through in an almost-perfect circle. Looking around, her eyes landed on Tigatron. The tiger was still offline. He didn't appear to be going anywhere so soon. She eyed another two green and red forms. They were twitching. They'd be waking up at any moment; and they weren't as badly damaged as the tiger.

Caitlin turned to Tigatron and took in the bad state he was in. She wouldn't be able to carry him home. Being the biggest of all big cats—and the fact he was robot: his weight would be considerable. So, she concentrated hard on the earth. It took a moment, and she swore her head was about to burst: but a sort of bed-like platform rose up from beneath the tiger. It raised him into the air. She gritted her teeth, but managed to force to rise.

A wicked smile swept over her face, but then she froze. That smile grew and she winked at the two Predacons.

Terrorsaur's beast form landed on Waspinator's body in a very… compromising position.

She snapped a few shots with her IPod quickly and then raised the boulder again. She leapt atop it, raised her arms to control the wind: and forced the boulder to move.

She had to get out of here. Tigatron needed the CR Chamber stat! The Predacons, she had learned, were never without backup for long, especially if something happened. Waspinator had been talking to Megatron, she assumed, before the blast had hit him. It knocked him flat to the ground, offline immediately upon impact. That made it only a matter of time before back up arrived, especially if it was included in the wasps' report that she'd accompanied the tiger.

Gritting her teeth, she continued concentrating on the boulder and the wind.

"Stasis lock imminent," came that computer voice.

Panicked, she looked down fearfully at the tiger. "Hol' on, Stripes! If you go ou' on me, I'mma-gonna bring ya back jus' ta send' ya back to the Inferno with ya tail between ya legs, myself!"

The offline tiger didn't reply. She hastened her efforts, but she had a lot of ground to cover…

… "GET THE GIRL!" she heard a familiar voice yell…

She sighed… And _now_ she was leading a Pred Parade…

She took a breath. "By the balls of light that created life on earth," she exclaimed, dodging missiles, swerving the boulder out of the way. She formed a sort of seatbelt for the tiger so he didn't fall—and shot higher into air, swerving past another missile that only _just_ missed her. She glared at her adversaries. "AND BY THE PITS OF THE INFERNO! **_GIMME A BREAK_** YOU SLAGGING SHITSTAINS!" she roared the skies.

A missile hit the back of the boulder, sending them flying…

As Caitlin sailed through the air, she glared over at the walking fossil that was approaching her as she approached the earth.

That purple face was sneering. She was tempted to sneer back, so she did.

* * *

Cheetor woke up in the early morning as he usually did. He looked over towards Caitlin's berth, but found it empty. She had been sleeping later and later into the morning but… she wasn't there at all. She usually was. His first thought was that Dinobot had burst in to take her for some early-early morning training, but he would have been woken up as well. That raptor was loud in the mornings when he wanted to be. Leaping off the berth, the cat ran to where Dinobot was rousing from his sleep. He opened the door to glare at the sudden appearance of the hyperactive spotted cat that had pounded on his door.

"What do you want, furball?" the raptor asked with a rumbling growl.

"Is Caitlin out training with you?" the cat asked.

Dinobot blinked. What a stupid question! Didn't the cat realise what came out of his mouth sometimes?

"No," the raptor replied, deciding to be '_nice_' to the cat. "The last I saw of the girl, she was with Tigatron."

"Well then, where is she?" Cheetor asked, more to himself.

"Have you tried the vermin?" Dinobot asked, ready to head back to his quarters.

"No," Cheetor replied slowly then turned to head for Rattrap's room. He found the rat was just stepping out of it, stretching his arms and yawning. "Have you seen Caitlin?!"

Rattrap yelped falling backwards. The door closed on his head three times in his startled stupor, before he pushed himself up. He glared heatedly at the cat. "No, I haven't," he replied, remembering what the cat had asked. "And why did ya hafta stop my spark just to ask that? Couldn't ya have waited til I was at least out of the doorway?"

Cheetor, however, didn't hear him. He'd already raced to the command room. Not finding her there, he raced to all the areas of the ship. Then he realised something…

Something must have happened to Caitlin; and if what Dinobot had said was true: then that meant Tigatron was in trouble too. He raced back to the command room, to find Optimus and Rhinox were trying to contact Tigatron, but they were receiving no reply. The ape shared a glance with the rhino. "Something must have happened. But we have no idea where they could be!" Frustrated, Optimus slammed his palms onto the bench. Eyes angry, he glared down at the map that refused to pin-point the location of any 'online' Maximals.

Rhinox, meanwhile, stroked his chin as the hummed thoughtful in his throat. Then he turned to face the rat and raptor. "You two were the last to see Tigatron and Caitlin," the rhino pointed out, gesturing to them. "Where were they headed?"

Rattrap was the one to step forward. "To the forest," he said, pointing down at a section on the grid-map hologram.

Cheetor's eyes widened. "That area is close to the Preds!"

"And it's also a landmine for hidden, buried Energon crystals," Rhinox added hesitantly. "If any of those deposits were hit with a powerful enough force, they would explode..." The rhino stopped, watching as his statement was met with varying reactions of concern.

Cheetor's shoulders dropped at the implication. Optimus placed a comforting hand on his shoulders. "Don't worry Cheetor," the ape said with a tentative smile. "We'll find them, Besides… Caitlin isn't one to go down so easily."

"Yeah Spots," Rattrap exclaimed with a smirk. "That girl sure does have a knack for getting _ina_ trouble _and_ getting _outta_ trouble."

Dinobot agreed with the rat about that; and it appeared, so did the others.

* * *

As the Maximals were talking about her, Caitlin was feeling her migraine now. She was now simply using the wind to propel both her and Tigatron through the air, across the landscape towards home. However, it wasn't so easy since she had to keep continuously shifting in the air, to avoid being hit by the missiles being shot by the two fliers. She'd managed to evade a few close calls; and the land-based Predacons had fallen behind a bit. However, the same could not be said about the wasp and pterodactyl.

"Wazzzzpinator get fleshy-bot!" Waspinator buzzed excitedly, but determined.

Caitlin scoffed and snorted. "In your dreams!"

"Stay still so I can shoot you!" Terrorsaur whined as he kept missing his moving target.

"Not a chance in hell, chicken-wings!" she fired back, swerving sharply to the right.

She circled around the pterodactyl, planting Tigatron down on a tree as she flared volcanic-hot fire between her fingertips. She concentrated on the heat of the flames in her hands: then shot a fireball at his chest. Terrorsaur shrieked as he fell. She turned to face the wasp – who took one look at her fire-flamed hands, down at Terrorsaur, and froze.

"Why universe hate Wazzzzpinator?" he asked weakly—and his wings were promptly burnt to a crisp. He came to a screeching halt right between two trees.

If it were any other day, Caitlin would have laughed at the comical positions they made. But, reality called that to a halt. She shifted back to Tigatron's position, picked him up as she swung pas; and then vanished before the other Predacons could see which direction she took above the canopy.

* * *

Megatron glared down at his two fliers. He inspected the damage the human female had subjected to the two Predacons. He was quite impressed and thoroughly annoyed. She had melted Terrorsaur's chest plate. The arms that the flier had used to shield himself from the blast had become stuck to his chest. Waspinator, however, was the finer piece of work. His wings had been burnt completely, like paper. The wasp needed help to remove himself from the tree, which he'd somehow managed to get himself stuck in. On top of that, the girl had used the dense canopy above to shield which direction she'd taken from the fliers—and anyone else that happened to look upwards to try and find her.

Thoughtfully, he turned to the human at his side. "What are your thoughts, Vincent?"

The human's cold-jade gaze turned up at the Leader of the Predacons. Then he turned back to the canopy above. His eyes picked up something that was not detectable by any Predacon or Maximal. Vincent smirked and pointed into a seemingly random direction, behind them, a little to the right. "She went that way." He folded his arms behind his head and flicked his eyes into Megatron's direction. "Back to the Axalon. I believe she brought us to the middle of the forest to slow us down."

Megatron hummed to himself. "That girl is beginning to irritate me. _Yesssss_…"

"And what shall you have us do, Megatron?" Tarantulas questioned his 'leader.' He held back a cackle as he waited for a reply. He was most curious about the girl, ever since his little conversation with her all those weeks ago. He was looking forward to another encounter with the girl.

Megatron simply smirked in reply. He glanced into the direction the human female had taken. "We shall had back to the base. There will be more changes to get the girl later. Yesss…"

Without a word, everyone silently followed behind their Leader. If they had any objections, they kept them to themselves.

Meanwhile, the Maximals were searching for the missing members of their group…

When suddenly, they saw something shoot through the air about a few cycles away….

Upon closer inspection by Cheetor: Tigatron and Caitlin were closing in.

* * *

Caitlin spied the moving group about a mile away. She almost let out an excited whoop. Well, she would have. If she didn't feel like she'd lose control of the wind at any given moment. As it was, she was falling to the ground in freefall. The best she could do was slow their descent… but it still wasn't gentle. _'This is gonna hurt like a mother!' _she winced and braced for impact! Cheetor was the first upon the scene. She glanced up at him from her place on the ground; sweaty and caked with dirt. Leaves were caught in her hair and tears were in her clothes.

She'd seen better days…

"Bout time," Caitlin chuckled, not even attempting to move yet. "And here I thought cheetahs were fast!"

Cheetor didn't exclaim at the jab. Instead, he transformed into his robot form and plucked her from the ground. He closed off her oxygen as he hugged her fiercely to his chest. "Why didn't you comm us?" he demanded as he let her go just as quickly. "Why weren't you back in time? Do you know how worried we all were? How worried _I_ was?"

Caitlin blinked but then smiled gently. She batted his arm that was still holding her. "I'm fine, little brother," she assured him and then looked down "It's Tigatron that needs help." Looking down as well, the yellow and spotted cat gaped at the damage inflicted upon his fellow (but stripped) cat. He kicked himself for not noticing.

When Optimus finally approached the ape looked gratefully. "Thank goodness, you're alright! But you'll have to tell me what happened later," he continued when he saw Tigatron's condition for what it was. "I'll be at the base with Tigatron." She nodded and watched as the ape flew off with the tiger; leaving her alone with the cat, raptor, rat and rhino. She twitched then, her exhaustion suddenly revealing itself. She staggered, but was caught by reptilian arms that could only belong to one mech. Bleary-eyed, she stared up into the gleaming-grey eyes of the raptor. Almost instantly, she relaxed in Dinobot's grip as he aided her onto his back without a single word.

Distantly, she felt Rhinox scan her for injuries. "She's going to need a long rest," she heard him say. "I think she deserves it."

Then there was nothing but the rapid, flowing movement of Dinobot's flight across the landscape.

And she felt a sense of comfort as she fell into the dark world of dreams remembered and unseen.

* * *

When Caitlin woke up, she was a bit confused as to where she was. Then she remembered what had happened. She sat up a little, and found Tigatron sitting next to her berth. He was looking towards an attempt of hers to make a wood sculpture; an admittedly embarrassing attempt. She took the time to study his body. But found all the wounds he'd received, had been completely erased. She smiled, glad that she was alright. "What time is it?" she asked groggily, shifting slightly.

Tigatron blinked and looked down at her. He gave her a smile. "Late in the morning. You've been asleep for three days."

She blinked and instantly shot up. "THREE DAYS?!" she exclaimed then groaned, falling back down. Apparently her head didn't like the fast movement after being stationary for so long. She spied amusement flicker in the tiger's green yes before he nodded, confirming. She sighed, but slowly took her time to stand up. The tiger allowed her to place a hand between his shoulder-blades, despite him being—at best: a wild feline. Then she managed to remain standing, unaided. She looked around. "Where are the others?"

"They're in the command room," Tigatron replied. "Two missions have been… seen over by Predacons. They're between annoyance, and worry for your health."

She smiled. "Well then. Let's give them something less to worry about."

* * *

The other Maximals were remarking on the strange coincidence that the Predacons seemed to know exactly what they were doing; when they should have no knowledge of it. Cheetor simply sat to the side, silently as he watched the tensions rise. He looked uncertain as to how he could help; even if he had wanted to get in the cross fire. With Caitlin's arrival on the tense scene, she cleared her throat. All five pairs of optics turned to her. She waved her hand and smiled. "Morning."

"CAITLIN!" Cheetor exclaimed, instantly bounded towards her. "YOU'RE ALRIGHT!"

She sighed, but allowed the cheetah to nuzzle against her, before she rapped him over the head. "Transform and give me a hug, air-head." If the cat had the ability, he would have promptly blushed redder than a tomato. He transformed, this time gently hugging her. When she figured that he'd gotten over his joy at seeing her, she cleared her throat. "I'm fine Cheetor," she assured him, pushing against him and the cheetah let go, still smiling.

Optimus and Rhinox were next to approach her.

Rhinox gave a smile and patted her on the shoulder. "You did very well," he told her proudly. "You got Tigatron back to us in time… and you managed, somehow, to stay out of trouble."

She grinned mischievously, "In a… manner of speaking."

"Yes, I'd like to know what happened. Tigatron filled in what best he could, but I'd like to hear you side," Optimus said. Business before pleasure.

Caitlin sighed and folded her arms. She looked up at the ceiling for a moment to gather her thoughts: then back at the ape. "Long story short. Terrorsaur shot at Energon, which exploded, knocking all of us unconscious. I woke up first and found Tigatron in the state he was. And that the fliers were… out cold. I got some picture of what I did with them. Terrorsaur ain't gonna like me for a while," she chuckled then continued seriously at the ape's serious face. She cleared her throat. "I got Tigatron on a boulder… and… made that boulder fly towards the forest. Once there, I managed to met Terrorsaur's chest-plate and Waspinator's wings. Then I flew off before the other Preds could get there, hiding my intended destination from them by using the canopy. Then it was just the flight back… Til I bumped into you guys."

The ape nodded, but then Rattrap spoke up, curious. "What were those pictures?"

She simply bared an evil grin towards him. Then she opened her IPod and showed him the pictures of Terrorsaur and Waspinator.

Rattrap's optics almost blinked out of his eyes. He shot the girl a surprised look, who, began to laugh madly at his expression.

Cheetor caught a glance at the screen, and frowned. "Why are you laughing about that? Terrorsaur's just on top of Waspinator."

Caitlin and Rattrap held each other's shoulders as they doubled-over in laughter, especially, at the innocence of their shared little brother. Cheetor looked at the pair, his features pulled into a frown. He folded his arms as he glowered at them, completely missing the point that they weren't laughing _at him_. Optimus, now curious, picked up the IPod… and hesitantly looked away. Rhinox coughed harshly into his hands upon seeing it. Dinobot stared at the picture before him, then up to Caitlin and then back to the picture. His lips twitched while he snorted, showing his amusement. Tigatron simply shook his head at the picture, but a smile twitched at the corner of his mouth as he tried to keep back his own laughter.

Handing back the device, Optimus pinned the smug human a disbelieving look. "You have a surprisingly… unclean mind, Caitlin."

She simply shrugged in reply as she took the device back. She cocked an eyebrow at him. "I didn't get it from Rattrap, if that's what you're thinking. My Mum has a strange… humour of her own. And besides, there's always that seemingly innocent person: who understands all the dirty jokes. And yes, that's me," she laughed.

"Wait, so you're _MUM_… gave you that dirty mind?" Rattrap exclaimed, bewildered.

Caitlin nodded. An amused smirk flittered over her lips as her eyes gleamed, almost catlike. She let loose a small chuckle then yawned. "What is it about sleeping for three days that makes you more tired?" she asked and stretched her muscles. She turned to Tigatron, curious. "Did you stick around all this time?"

Tigatron nodded. "I could not leave until I thanked you for saving my life. So, thank you."

She simply smiled and waved her hand. "You would've done the same thing, Stripes. All I can say is… that I'm glad _I _wasn't the damsel in distress." The tiger smiled in reply, but his eyes narrowed slightly at the light, teasing jab at his mech pride. She simply smiled innocently as if she hadn't done so. "So," she drawled, looking at the others. "Anything new happen while I was sleepin'?"

Optimus shook his head. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"That's good I suppose," Caitlin muttered. "Now, I'm going to go eat something…" She grabbed her stomach and frowned at it. "I'm suddenly starving."

Cheetor leapt up at the opportunity to spend some time with her. "I'll help you find some fruit!" she sent him a questioning look. She could have sworn she already had some fruit in the kitchen. "Your supply was raided," the cat added, glancing pointedly towards a certain rat.

She sighed, but nodded and entered the lift. Optimus peaked down at her from above with a stern glare. "Return sooner rather than later." When he had receiving a nod, he turned back inside. Then, approaching the Console, he turned to the rat and the raptor. "Dinobot, Rattrap: I have a job for you two."

* * *

Caitlin and Cheetor had found an apple tree. They were currently grabbing apples here and there, tossing them into a bucket each. They laughed as they filled up the bucket. Once they had, they lay on the ground, soaking up the rays of the sun. Then, curious, Cheetor turned so he faced Caitlin. "So… what's it feel like? To, you know, be able to fly?"

Her eyes snapped open at the questioned. She turned her head to look into those curious, bright green eyes. "It's… different to being on the ground," she said thoughtfully. "You feel like you can do anything. Well," she chuckled, "within reason. But… it does feel like you're… free… I think."

"I wish I could fly," Cheetor sighed, staring up at a bird that swooped by; a mouse in its clutches at it rose gracefully in the air.

Caitlin snorted and wriggled in the grass to get more comfortable. "I rather prefer the ground, myself," she replied. She stretched then patted the ground on her side and sent the cat a smile. "It's sturdy and always there. The wind constantly changes. It's unpredictable, fickle and flighty. Calm a moment, hurricane the next." She frowned and looked down at the thing she'd always taken for granted. "The earth is not without its own dangers, of course, but I find it far more predictable then the wind."

Cheetor nodded in reply, but frowned. "But," he sighed. "I'd like to fly."

Caitlin looked at the cat she thought of as a little brother. She took in the longing of his gaze, and smiled. "Well then, kitty-cat," she said as she stood to her feet. She held her hand down to the cat and that smile stretch further. "How 'bout I help ya with that?" The cat looked at her for a moment, then: those eyes widened. Instantly, he hopped to his feet, jumping up and down in excitement. She chuckled. "Now, no moving," she warned and raised her arms.

She lifted herself and the cat, and the apple bucket… and flew them back to base.

* * *

Dinobot and Rattrap were returning from their mission: to find two flying objects making their way towards them. They looked up to find Caitlin releasing Cheetor. He fell to the ground with a resounding whoop, landing on his feet. Caitlin simply flourished her hands. She rose a few inches before shooting downwards then hovered above the ground before landing smoothly. (Inside her mind she was doing her own degree of whooping and dancing like an insane person). Her buckets of apples were tucked neatly in her chest between her arms. As soon as she stepped forward to approach, she sent an amused smirk to the cat. "Had fun?"

Cheetor nodded in reply, grinning widely, before bounding inside to tell Optimus of his experience.

"That kid is way too energetic," Caitlin sighed, plucking an apple from the bucket and biting into it.

"Throw me an apple," Rattrap said, holding up his hand. Caitlin picked out a green one and threw it to the rat. Then she stalked towards a pile of boulders below the ship's entrance and plopped herself down. She folded one leg against her chest, tucking the other underneath it. The two mechs followed and sat either side of her. Dinobot reached to grab his own apple and picked a red one. Together, they watched the sunset, mindlessly munching on their chosen apples. Then, once they had finished their apples, Rattrap turned to face Caitlin. "You gonna stop avoiding us now?" he asked; then noticed she was drifting off, her head inclining towards Dinobot's side.

She blinked, shaken out of her drowsy state. "Wouldn't be able to for long, anyways," she replied sleepily; then feel against Dinobot's side once more. Her legs moved to lie across Rattrap's own and she fell into her dreams, curled up between the two mechs. Dinobot and Rattrap stared at each other. They didn't like the fact they were near the other, but they didn't move. They stayed silent and still for the sake of the girl.

"Hothead," the rat whispered hotly.

"Cheese-eater," Dinobot growled in reply.

"Malfunctioning _Mech_anisms," Caitlin muttered sleepily at the arguing mechs and they snorted amusedly in reply.

It would be later into the night before they would move to return the girl to her berth. But, for now…

For now, they'd watch her dream…


	10. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9: "Double Jeopardy"**_

Optimus approached the room the two youngest members of the Maximals sometimes shared. He found Caitlin snuggled up under her sleeping bag with Cheetor stretched out on his side. He frowned thoughtfully, remembering what he'd seen yesterday. And what Caitlin had told him about what she'd done to get rid of the Predacons chasing her. He'd never called her out on it before, but he was seriously considering it. Even Rhinox shared his views on the fact that it was obvious Caitlin wasn't a normal human being. She, and the human male: Vincent, were the only humans on this planet. They were both far too intelligent to have originated from the time frame of this planet's geology.

He wanted to know what was going on.

He wanted to know the truth.

However, Optimus realised, it was clear that Caitlin would be less than willing, to tell him who she came to be on this planet. Or even about the abilities she wielded.

As far as the ape know, and according to the records Cybertron had of humans: there was no evidence that showed humans could manipulate the elements.

He would probably have to ask her way from the others, he decided.

Then he turned around and made his way towards the command room.

* * *

When Caitlin woke up, she found Cheetor already gone, which, her alone, for once, in the morning without his chipper-morning self. If she were a Predacon, she'd have no qualms in blasting that smiling face off in the mornings. However, given the fact she twinged at the mere _thought_ of giving her adopted cheetah-brother a burn; she knew she'd never accomplish such a feat. With a sigh, she rummaged through her bag and brought out some clothes to wear. This time, she decided to wear a grey shirt and black jeans, which wear easy enough to move in. By the time she was tying her shoe laces, everyone else was, at least, coming to consciousness. Although, some with a little more reluctance then others…

Rattrap came falling through his door, a yawn plastered over his face. He glared up at the cackling girl, who was laughed at his predicament.

"Did the rat trip over his small feet?" she snickered, reaching over to help him to his feet. "What's your malfunction? Besides the obvious, I mean."

"It's too early in the morning for our verbal duel," Rattrap retorted tiredly. "My brain is so muggy, I might just call Dino-butt by his name, for once."

Her eyes gleamed sly, noticing Dinobot approaching from behind. She wrapped an arm around the rat's shoulders, and with a casual air, added to his sentence: "_And_!—Admitting that Dinobot's an awesome fighter, far superior to your own skills in combat." She smirked, quirking her eyebrow as the raptor, mouthing: Three. Two. One…

"Yeah," the rat yawned agreeably. "That too…"

"At last you admit it, vermin," Dinobot sneered as he walked past without a single glance back, a smirk fixed to his face.

Rattrap blinked at his back. Then he promptly turned a glare that the girl. She was trying to stifle her snickers, but was failing miserably. The rat whacked her on the arm, furious and embarrassed. "You set me up for that!" he yelled, his eyes distressed he'd lost the first round of the day with the raptor.

Caitlin patted him in the shoulder, her face set in mock sympathy. "Don't worry… It happens to the best of us. But, I admit… I _don't_ look forward to your revenge."

With that, she walked past him; chuckling under her breath as she made her way to the control room; with the rat muttering behind her all the way…

_'Sore loser, he is,'_ she snickered to herself.

Once she stepped in the control room, however: her humour immediately vanished. She froze under the serious gaze of Optimus. She remained rooted to the spot in the doorway, long enough for Rattrap to poke her in the back to get her moving. She moved, but only a step to the side where Cheetor was standing with Rhinox. She gave the cat a smile, nodded to the rhino and folded her arms. She cocked a brow at the raptor, who simply gave a subtle shrug in reply from behind the ape's shoulder.

Then, Optimus stepped forward, addressing everyone. "Alright everyone, Rhinox will give you your assignments. But Caitlin, you're with me." The ape stepped into the lift without a single look back, expecting her to follow him. And she would, no doubt about that. She'd just mutter and grumble along the way. She _did not_ like that look he'd given her…

Frowning, her brows furrowed to the middle in worry. Then she wiped it clean and stepped into a lift beside the ape, glancing at him awkwardly.

"See you later, Caitlin!" Cheetor yelled, waving her a goodbye.

She smiled mischievously in reply; bending one finger after the other in her form of a: '_Goodbye and promise to return to annoy you all'_ wave. Then, everyone was out of sight and she was alone with the ape. She turned to him. "So… where are we going?"

"To an area I want checked out," the ape replied simply, bluntly.

_'Okay,'_ she thought. _'After all my fuss to join you, and you're repeated answers of: HELL NO! …. You're suddenly taking me with you? Something's up…' _

Frowning, she thought over who he could have taken with him, aside from herself. But, decided not to say anything. At least she wasn't being treated as something other than a burden and a child.

* * *

Later, found Caitlin in the air being piggy-backed by the ape. She'd decided not to fly. It used a lot of her energy and in fact, she'd found that she had certain limits to what she could do with the elements. And how long she could use them for: usually all four of them, or one of them. So, she was being careful. As if he'd known her thoughts, Optimus spoke up. "So, are you going to tell me how you can use the elements to your will?" Caitlin froze above him. She made a move to get off the ape's back: and found herself suddenly spun around to his chest. Optimus held her tightly against him, so she couldn't escape. His arms locked around her as surely as a chain with a lock and key. She closed her mouth, biting her tongue and refused to look up from the ape's chest. "Well?" Optimus prompted. He cocked his brow and she gaped at his uncharacteristic, forceful questioning.

"Can you ask me on the ground, rather than in the air?" she asked, still not looking at him.

Optimus chuckled and shot straight to the ground: like a plummeting bullet after it had been fired. Caitlin gripped the ape tighter to her, feeling as if her stomach was trying to fly off. Then, they were finally on the ground. But, it didn't feel like it to her. She kept a firm grip on the ape Optimus tried to try her off, but she refused to let go, shaking her head. "We're on the ground," he said patiently, looking up at the sky.

Caitlin's eyes flashed up. "In case you had forgotten, you big ape," she hissed as she released him like he was acid. "I'm a human. I don't have the same… tolerance for high velocity as you do!"

"Yes, you are human," he said as he folded his arms. "_But_!" he added sternly. "There is no evidence to suggest that _you_!" He poked her in the forehead, stressing the word to her. "You_—_should be able to have the ability to control the elements. Tell me what happened to you that caused you, and Vincent, to arrive on this planet. And I mean—tell me _all_ of it!"

She sighed and sat down. Her head leant against her fist as she peered up at him. Then she turned to the scenery. They were on a small mountain, overlooking the forest below. The tops of the trees made an endless sea of green—before expanding into a vast, golden landscape beyond. With the endless blue surrounding them: it was like a scene out of a fantasy book. Frankly, it was beautiful. But, when Optimus sat down a little the side, waiting for her to speak: she remembered with painful clarity, the reality facing her. She closed her eyes, summoned her strength. She thought over the Vok. She wondered how they'd take this. She remembered they said they'd come around to warn her if anything major had changed, but none had come. But, that didn't mean they might want her to talk about them. But Optimus wanted an answer. "The truth is, Optimus. I don't even know if I'm allowed to tell you about it."

"Just tell me," the ape replied firmly: his dark optics stubborn on finding out the truth.

She growled at him and turned away. She raised arms and stood to her feet. "You have no idea what you're dealing with," she said finally, warningly. "That alien probe is just a taste of their abilities. The teasing entrée! They… are the makers of life on almost any planet, mostly organics," she added. She frowned. Where was this coming from? She felt something within her given her answers to tell Optimus. She decided not to question it… just yet, and let it flow through her. It was like an intelligence waking within her; that she only just realised that the aliens had given her…

When they had split her soul from her body, moulding it with something similar to their own…

_"You would not be able to survive in our... spaceship, if we had left you as you were. That liquid you saw earlier... was in fact, your soul."_

_"My soul?! … Say what?!"_

_"More or less. But, it is the physical representation of your soul, mixed with the DNA and essence, of one of our own. It was merged with yours. Now, you are something of a hybrid between our species. But don't worry. You appear as human as you were. You have not been harmed at all. You have only gained... unique abilities?"_

_"So… So basically, you like: reconstructed my DNA?" _

_"Yes."_

Blinking out her reverie, Caitlin turned to face the ape. She felt tears prick at her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. "They changed me. They chose me, out of all the humans they could have chosen… and they only chose me at random." She snorted and rubbed at her eyes furiously. "I have no idea why they even did! I'm hardly worth it!"

Optimus approached her carefully. He'd never seen her so unsure, so lost. "They chose you for what?"

She turned around, but whatever it was she was going to say, was blown away. Literally!—When Terrorsaur sent a missile their way. It exploded in the earth between them, sending Caitlin over the edge; and Optimus in the opposite direction.

All Caitlin could think was: '_Fuck my life!'_

Terrorsaur screeched in triumph. "BULLSEYE! _That's_ for melting my chest-plate, girl!" She groaned, glaring blearily up at the red pterodactyl as she thought of roast chicken. Then, she remembered that she was falling. But she was too dizzy to even connect with her powers…

And… the ground was closing in on her. Rapidly! Like, very-very fast!

She only had one thing she could say about this situation:

"…Shit…"

She closed her eyes—she felt something impact the back of her head. She felt something burst out of her chest…

But then… the world went dark and she knew no more. Fading. Everything was fading…

"NOO! CAITLIN!"

"WHAT IN THE INFERNO IS TH…?"

Silence.

Three…

Two…

One…

* * *

When Caitlin came to, she found herself slumped over in an awkward position, on chair. She was in the command room of the Axalon. It smelt like it too. Like Rattrap's stench and Optimus' bananas. She tried to remember how she'd gotten here. Groaning, she opened her eyes and looked up to find the rest of the Maximals—who were staring at her, concerned. Optimus himself was slumped over in his own chair, but, not because he was unconscious. She rolled over, since she'd been facing a reflective screen. She watched with some curiosity as each measure of relief showed differently on each of their faces.

"You know," Rhinox commented before he gave her a bone-crushing hug. "I think I know why humans say teenagers give their family heart attacks."

"Then you should know that human teenagers like to breathe!" Caitlin gasped. The rhino quickly released her, but kept his massive hands on his shoulders. As if to prove to himself that she was indeed alive. "What hit me?" she asked once she'd gotten her breathing under control. She looked over to Optimus, who was staring at her as if she was a ghost.

Before she could ask the ape what the matter was, Optimus scrambled over—and gave a mightier bone-crushing hug. But, unlike Rhinox, he gave her some room to breathe. Key word: some. However, before Caitlin could do nothing but listen to his apologies for failing her. But, as he got more and more depressed the longer he apologised over her shoulder; she felt that, if she didn't do something: they'd have a depressed and angry-at-himself ape on their hands. With a growl, she kicked him with all her might. (Since she didn't think he'd appreciate his Control Room being melted, or himself getting stuck to the metal flooring.)

Optimus reeled back in shock and took one look at her expression, and froze.

"Now you listen here, Optimus Primal, and you listen well!" Caitlin said. Her voice didn't go any louder than her normal every-day voice. But, the tone she used demanded and expected to be listened to, and obeyed. The older sister of family of strong-willed and stubborn younger siblings was showing itself. And Optimus, could do nothing but gape at her, retreating from her advancing, measures steps towards him. "I'm still alive. I'm not _dyin_; and neitha am I _dead_ or in a _coma_ of no return!" she growled. Her eyes flashed. She felt her hands heat up with flames she was refusing to let go of as she pointed fiercely at the mech. "You _didn'_ fail me. In fac' you keep surprisin' me for carin' 'bout me so much. Now, ge' ya Spark outta that hole you've buried it in. And pull yourself together. I thought _humans_ were supposed to be _overemotional_!"

Caitlin panted, her arm outstretched from pointing at him as silence followed her rant.

Dead silence, actually.

She breathed in and out. The only sound other than the rushing through her ears, she could hear.

Optimus' optics blinked on and off.

The others stared, not daring to utter a single word.

Then…

"I was being silly again, wasn't I?" Optimus asked, sighing.

"Damn straight you were!" Caitlin huffed, folding her arms. Then she frowned. She remembered very little of yesterday… "So… what _did_ hit me?"

Optimus frowned and gestured for her to sit down. "Now that I know you're okay, I can say this," he said. Once everyone had sat down, the ape began his tale. "It was amazing. And it's obvious you're not a normal human, Caitlin," he added to the girl, who scoffed and rolled her eyes as if to say: 'Well duh!' However, she listened with rapt attention as Optimus told them all what had happened…

He told them how Terrorsaur had snuck up on them while they'd been talking. A missile blasted the ground between them, disorientating Caitlin as she was thrown off the cliff. A ways down, she hit the back of her head against a tree trunk. It had been with enough force to kill an elephant. But, when Optimus had thought all was lost: something happened.

A ball of clear-liquid light: light blue with flashes of red and black tendrils; burst out of her chest near her heart… and enveloped her from behind to slow her descent. Once it lowered her to the ground: it took the form of a dragon. It sent a shockwave of what felt like Energon waves towards the flier, knocking him away. He said he'd been too damaged to fly them back. So instead, he had to carry her back the base.

The ball of light, however, continued to hover over her body… looking lost: until they were almost at the Axalon. It shot back inside of her. The Energon-crystal necklace Caitlin wore; then showed the same colour as the ball of light that had miraculously disappeared and saved her from death…

Only to disappear….

"Now, as far as I can tell," Optimus said, looking at Caitlin pointedly. "Humans don't have balls of light shooting out of their chests and shooting waves of Energon at Predacons…"

There was a long, silent pause as everyone took that in.

Caitlin glanced at each face, her heart racing in her chest.

Panicked, she shot to her feet and bolted for the lift before anyone could react and hold her back.

She did not return for a long time.

* * *

Reminisce. Reminisce. Reminisce. She found she often did that when she was feeling troubled. She'd been gone from the Axalon a while, stopping only when she had come to the place where she'd first met the Maximals. She looked down at the river, spying a few dead logs that looked might suspicious. She remembered that croc that had almost turned her into its lunch. Sighing, she found a lone tree and scaled its trunk until she was hidden within the foliage. She leant her head back against the bark, half-closing her eyes as she turned skyward. Groaning, she grabbed she fisted the hair at her temples.

"I'm abducted, DNA-changed, sent back in time, forced into a wary with robots… And now, I find out that my soul or—whatever it is, is able to come out of my chest!" she muttered emotionless. Her heart thudded as her mind spun with the implications of what had happened to her. She rubbed at her eyes, a sense of doom falling upon her. "On top of that, I don't know whether the Vok would appreciate me telling any of them the truth. Or, maybe they want me to…" she sighed. Glaring, she made a frustrated sound at the back of her throat. She lashed her hands towards the sky in exasperation. "They should've given me a bloody handbook! It'd make all of this simpler!"

As soon as that came out of her mouth, she snorted. That'd just make it _easy_ for her. She had a feeling those aliens (who also created life on Earth) were sadistic and vindictive. If she didn't succeed, it was more than likely they'd take the other, more permanent solution: they would destroy the problem. After all, any signs of contamination in a lab, the whole experiment had to be eradicated.

Frowning, she stood on the trunk and folded her arms. Then, she felt something crawl over her leg. She looked down and met with the biggest spider she'd ever seen..

A camel spider…

Blink.

Tip-toe-tip-toe to the knee…

Blink.

Tip-toe-tip-toe to the thigh…

"HOLY SH—_GET OFFA ME YOU __**UGLY**__**BASTARD**_!" she screeched and, with a burst of flames: she shot the disgusting critter into the distance. For instant assurance, she bolted out of the tree and bounded further away from that area she had, and forever proclaimed to be as: The 'Spider-Sieged-Scene!' When she figured she was a safe enough distance, she slowed her gait to a stalking walk. She slid her hands into her pockets and sighed loudly to calm her nerves.

"What do we have here?" a familiar voice asked.

Caitlin spun on her heel to stare into the yellow optics of a certain arachnid. Who, if she was to be honest, was uglier than that camel spider… and not just in the looks depart. "Tarantulas," she drawled, cocking her head slightly. "Fancy seeing _you_ here. Any particular reason you're out here, in this neck of the woods?"

The arachnid cackled. "I saw you walking all on your lonesome. What's a bite like you, doing all the way out in Predacon Territory, on her own?"

She cocked her brow at the gluttonous arachnid in reply. She kept a nice distance between him and her, as he shimmied to a boulder and leant next to it. He folded his arms and cocked his own head at her, silently questioning. In return, Caitlin relaxed a little in his presence. She wasn't about to completely feel comfortable around him. After all, the spider was a Predacon. _Evil_. Not to mention he was a mad scientist. She sat before him, folded her arms and mimicked him as she cocked her head to mirror him. "Perhaps to sulk…"

The spider leant forward slightly, "Why sulk so far from home?"

"Cos I can," she drawled in reply then stood to her feet. She sent him an icy glare that could have frozen lava; before she turned on her heel: and stalked off. "And I don't need a spider following me. Now, go tangle with your webbing and leave me alone."

Tarantulas blinked after the girl. He watched her quickly disappear out of his sight…

Then, he got an incoming message that the Predacons had gained quite an interesting find from listening in on the Maximals…

He cackled his way back to the base, sparing half a mind to the human girl.

It appeared it was time his genius was about to be put to work, after all!

Too bad he'd have to wait til he got his pincers on the girl… and _not_ for a chat…

* * *

_'I need to exercise more,_' Caitlin thought grouchily.

Her back and calves were screaming at her as she puffed her way up the sharp incline. She could see the snow-capped mountains that, if she so wished to journey towards them: she'd find herself in Tigatron's territory. He roamed these parts a great deal more than his fellows. Caitlin only came here every so often when the urge hit her. The view that extended behind her was simply marvellous. It was one of the reasons she'd decided to climb up here after she'd met Tarantulas.

With a final groan of exertion, she fell onto a rocky platform. It looked stable enough to hold her weight. Shuffling until her back leant against the rock face, she faced the scenery. The sight was straight out of a poster for the: Top 10 places to go for a holiday. So engrossed in the sight, she was unaware that she was being watched…

A twig snapped. Heart thudding, she shot around to find herself nose-to-nose with a, hopefully, familiar tiger…

"…_Tigatron_?"

The tiger growled in reply. Then he leant back into the cat-version of sitting down. "What troubles you?"

She sighed in relief that she wasn't about to be eaten, and turned away. "You know how I can manipulate the elements?" she asked, not looking at him and waited for his reply.

"Yes. Quite well, in fact."

Caitlin took a deep breath. Then, she began talking. She somehow found herself much more comfortable within Tigatron's presence. She wasn't sure why. But, maybe… just maybe: it was because he was always so darn peaceful. It was as if his calmness was subjected into herself whenever she was around the illusive tiger.

"Well," she began before getting comfortable. "The others asked me about why I have that ability…. And I panicked—after Optimus told me what happened. I found out that I have a ball-of-light that's able to shoot outta my chest. I mean, come on! Whaddya they expect me to say? … _'Hi, I'm a human female. I've had my DNA reconstructed and merged with alien DNA after having my 'soul' sucked out!'?" _

She threw her hands into the air in exasperation—groaned and held her head in her hands, at her wits end. And all during this, the tiger remained silent.

'_Maybe'_, she thought, _'that was why talking to him is so easy'. _But, she dared not look at him as she took another breath.

"And they tell me I'm now a hybrid between the human and their species. And I've been chosen to aid in a war between Maximals and Predacons… because their enemies sent their own human back in time to aid the Preds. They decided to do the same, which _just so happened to be me_: and now! … _Now_ I have to fight in a war I have no knowledge of. I've no idea what's to be expected of me. I'm treated like a child. I have powers I don't have complete control of… and they… THEY!—expect a recently-turned, eighteen-year-old, hormonal-driven female to help in a war between two robot fractions! I mean, really? WHO THE HELL DO THOSE ALIENS THINK THEY ARE?! _CLEOPATRA_?! COS THEY CERTAINLY AINT NO KING OF ENGLAND, EITHER!"

Gasping, afterwards; her chest heaved up and down as she stared wide-eyed at the tiger.

'_Shit_!' she realised, _'I just told him there were aliens. There goes to keeping it a secret! Nice work!' _

However, the tiger had retained his surprised, but still calm expression. She fell back on her rump. Whether in relief or exhaustion, she didn't know. But, she felt Tigatron curl up behind her back, supporting her silently with his presence. She turned her head to face him. She found those empathetic, understanding green eyes gleaming calmly back at her. "You should tell the others," he said gently. "While I think you may feel they will treat you differently… it will turn out alright. You will do more damage if you don't tell them."

Sighing at the wisdom given to her, she smiled sheepishly and shook her head. "You make it sound… _so_ simple."

"Even the hardest of tasks given to us, are much easier than they are perceived to be. All it takes is that first step towards it. The rest will come easily," the tiger smiled. He rubbed his head with affection against her shoulder and looked deeply into her eyes. "You can trust them."

"Speak for yourself," she replied and escaped that stare and leant back away from the tiger. "I've never let anyone get too close to me. Over time, even if they've succeeded, I'll eventually push them away. Or circumstances will depict the relationship ending. Time. Distance. Loss of contact. Death. Trust is something I've known very little of. Most of the time… I can't even trust my own mother. The one person who's always been there for me through thick and thin… What makes you think I can trust _anyone_ who seems to desire my friendship? I was… the epitome of a wall flower in High School. I made no lasting impressions on people. All friends I had before forthwith disbanded after High School ended… _No one_ stays around _me_ forever…"

"What about the Maximals?" Tigatron asked, frowning. "You seem to trust them, even Dinobot, surprisingly."

Chuckling humorously, she glanced at the tiger with an expression that gave him chills. She stood smoothly to her feet and patted off the dust, not looking in his direction. "Trust," she stressed the word with a sneer. "Trust is not an honour I give lightly. I _do_ trust the Maximals—but only to be themselves and as long as their focus in not turned on me."

The white cat cocked his large head, confused. "But you talk to them all the time…"

She cocked her brow and lifted up a finger. "Dinobot is a former Predacon. He isn't the sentimental type. He doesn't delve into personal backgrounds. Hence the reason why I feel comfortable talking with him for long periods of time. He likes to talk about battle strategy. He is also rather interested in literature – particularly Shakespeare. Talk with him about either of those things – or strike a philosophical debate with him – he can talk for hours on that subject... And I never have to talk about myself or entrust to him my secrets."

Tigatron inclined his head. That was not hard to believe. The raptor was not an easy one to talk to; and even though he may be uncomfortable amongst the Maximals and prefer to spend time on his own – Dinobot was not as antisocial as he'd like to be. He talked with the others, though he did not seek them out. The only two people Tigatron had seen Dinobot seek out to converse with: were Optimus and Caitlin. Dinobot was forced to converse with the rat, only when duty required it. Otherwise, they were snarky to each other when they were in the same space.

But, Caitlin wasn't finished; because she lifted another finger. "Rhinox is, first and foremost: a scientist. Keep him focused on a conversation about his projects; and he'll stay on that train of thought for hours. And I need not talk about myself. I can add my thoughts and insights on his views and ideas: but I share very little of myself in return." She stopped with a thoughtful frown and scratched at her temple. "Though his preferences for conversation topics tend to bore me, or give me a headache, with all that jargon he uses that I don't understand.

Tigatron wondered about that for a moment. Caitlin and Rhinox did not hate each other. This much he knew from his time amongst the other Maximals, watching and learning from a distance. But, while they were friendly with one another, they didn't exactly speak as much as say: Optimus and Rhinox would talk to one another. Caitlin was not stupid. She was a bit too smart for that; but her smarts lay in areas other than guessing which wire went where – along with DNA, computers and other such gadgets and gizmos. She stuck with what she knew, venturing out of that circle only when she either really desired to learn – or circumstances pressed her to.

Caitlin lifted another finger. "Cheetor is, essentially: a young teenager—I ain't sure how you guy's actually age, so I'm only guessing. He'll stay on the same train of thought for hours – or race from one thing to another like a ping-pong game with multiple balls and angles to turn at. He is reckless. Eager to prove himself. And bloody damned hyperactive. He wishes to learn. He wants to have fun." She smiled fondly and shook her head. "If you keep him entertained enough: and you don't even need to talk. You need only listen to what he says and keep the spotlight on him. Though, in most cases… I don't understand a word that comes out of that motor-mouth and just want to run into the opposite direction…"

Tigatron laughed, "He _can_ be a handful."

Caitlin's eyes widened like a cornered mouse and dropped her jaw. "Can be a handful…. Doesn't even _begin_ to describe him…"

"And yet you care for him," Tigatron pointed out.

She sighed, but didn't refute it. Instead, she lifted another finger. "Optimus has a Spark full of wonder. He too, wishes to learn. He is much like a teenager in that regard. Tell him things only a human will know, and ask for his thoughts and opinions: and you can keep any and all conversations on neutral ground. This works especially well if you add in what the day's strategy is. Or, perhaps what he thinks Megatron might be up to. Or perhaps a few fantasies of what might happen to Megatron when he finally gets what's coming to him." She tilted her head back and smirked at the tiger. "My favourite was dunking him in a vat of oil and then just slowly lowering him into the lava bits. That, or leaving him tied up in a room without arms or legs: and let him listen to the drip-drip-drip of a tap—_Continuously_."

Tigatron blinked. "How does a dripping tap fit in?"

Her smirked widened to evil. "People have gone mad. If all you can hear in a small, sound-proofed room: is a dripping tap… it's one of the worst psychological tortures ever. Next to a few other things… not that I've either tried any… or looked them up. Though I wish I had. I would have known how to drive the Pred's up the wall…"

Tigatron looked at the human warily. "Remind me to never get on your bad side."

She grinned and shrugged and lifted another finger. "Now Rattrap is… well, he's Rattrap; for lack of a better word. He likes to run his own show. He's a trickster and prefers to talk about himself. So long as one appeals to his arrogance – particularly his skills with stealth and espionage: one can keep the conversation turned on him. He'll even out-talk you. But," she added with a laughing grin, "if you insult him – and he insults you back: you'll have a verbal with tennis match. Great way not to reveal anything personal about yourself…"

The tiger blinked, having nothing really to think about that: and then realised that he'd been left out. He cocked his head to the side, and asked: "What about me?"

She smiled. "You are the illusive Maximal scout who hides away in the mountains. You have no memory and prefer to be on your own. You like having us around to talk to, otherwise you'd get lonely, but you'd survive without us. I can talk to you about matters concerning the Predacons and the Maximals, and you can offer insights that only an outsider, or neutral party, could offer me. And I can keep most of my thoughts, feelings out of the equation. And you won't ask of my past." Sighing, she shook her head and folded her arms. "In fact, I do not tell any of you my past. So, no, I cannot entrust my trust to you all completely."

The tiger sadly frowned. "Why wouldn't you?" She didn't respond. Tigatron transformed to properly stand (kneel, actually) eye-level to her. He looked deep into her eyes and held her gaze. "Why wouldn't you trust anyone completely? We protect you with our lives..."

Caitlin gave a wry grin in reply. Then those melancholy-hazel eyes turned upon the tiger. Tigatron briefly glimpsed the heart of a girl who had hidden a great deal of pain, behind a daily visage: then, just as quickly, it was gone. She turned back to the scenery. "Trust," she said in a weary tone that did not belong to such a young soul. "Trust is inevitably broken. One way or another. I don't think I'd be able to handle it, if any of you was able to come so close… and then suddenly disappear."

Tigatron blinked as a realisation popped in his processor. "Why are you telling me this? You said you do not trust easily…"

Chuckling sheepishly, she scratched the back of her neck awkwardly. A light blush dusted her cheeks as she avoided his gaze. "Hehe. Truthfully? I had a toy tiger at home that looks similar to you. I'd tell it all of my troubles I couldn't feel like telling anyone else. So… yeah. That's why it's so easy to talk to you."

Tigatron chuckled in reply, shaking his head. She was a box of contradictions, he thought, which meant: she trusted them more than she realised or wanted to admit. "Well, I have to be off," he said as he transformed and walked to the ledge. He turned back to look at her. "You should learn to open up more, Caitlin," he added, his tone serious. Caitlin turned to catch his eyes as he continued. "It will hurt more when they do disappear, if you don't trust them completely. Because then… you would regret not making more time and memories with them."

_'Time and memories can be a painful thing to remember, though. They say it is better to have loved and lost, then to have not loved at all. But, is it really?' _

Her expression blanked out with muted surprise and watched, speechless; as the tiger disappeared into the distance. She turned away, her heart aching as other bittersweet memories plagued her mind. "I don't know whether I could. You have no idea what I've done in the past, Tigatron. Even Dinobot would be disgusted. And he's a _Predacon_." With one last forlorn look at the sky, she turned away and headed down the steep decline to the forest below.

Unbidden, thoughts of what Tigatron had said reverberated in her mind.

And with it; followed her own, dark past she tried hard to keep hidden within the dark recesses of her mind.

* * *

It was well into the next day. Well, to be truthful, it was more late at night: when Caitlin finally, slowly returned to the Axalon. She was covered in dirt and covered in scratches. Trees, she had found: were not the best for cushioning one's fall. But hey, she'd been hungry… and they'd been a few bananas that hadn't been picked by the monkeys. She entered the command room, wincing in remembrance of a particularly loud, hostile monkey: and found out that Optimus and Dinobot had gone to retrieve a pod that had fallen out where it was snowing.

When the others noticed she was there, they paused. The rat, in particular, turned an expressionless stare on her. "So, you're back."

"So it would seem," she replied. Her voice revealed nothing of her emotions as she turned and sat down, folding her arms.

The mechs all shared a glance, but decided to say nothing. They'd been through two heart attacks within the same 48 hour mark. They didn't need another one. Besides, Optimus was stressed enough already. And speaking of Optimus: somewhere out in a mountainous snow range; two forms approached a frozen waterfall. One was a familiar silver-backed gorilla. And the other was a brown and tanned-coloured raptor.

As they came to a stop, the raptor shivered and turned to the ape. "Cold," he growled, shivering uncontrollably. "My servo fluids are within two degrees of… crystallization!"

"Base camp, confirm our position!" Optimus said as he contacted the Axalon. "Are we near the stasis pod?"

Caitlin flinched at Optimus' voice on the comms and pushed herself further into her corner. Tigatron's words ran through her mind over and over again like a broken record.

_'Trust someone completely?'_ she thought, closing her eyes. _'It's not so easily done.'_

"Well," Rattrap spoke up. "If it were a snake, it'd bite cha. Should be within a few feet of it. Oh and," he added sketchily. "Caitlin's back.'

Eyes opening, she cast the rat a glare. "I could've told him that myself, ya know," she drawled.

"Well then, why didn't cha?!" the rat snapped, glaring heatedly at her.

She held up her hands in the universal sign of surrender and leant backwards.

"She's back? Good. We're within a few feet of the stasis pod. Horizontally. _Vertically_ is another story…"

Then they lost transmission…

* * *

When Optimus and Dinobot finally returned, Caitlin winced at the damage. But, she kept out of the way, avoiding all eye contact as Dinobot was placed first inside the CR Chamber. As soon as the raptor had been placed inside, the ape turned a stern look on her. "I'm going to be having a word with you, Caitlin," he growled. She nodded in reply without a word, eyes cast aside. They waited for the two to heal, but when Optimus had finally come out: he slammed his hands against the console. There was only word to describe him. Pissed off. Okay, maybe two, but who's counting? Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she looked at his annoyed expression. "This makes three operations straight, ambushed!"

Rhinox nodded. "Hmm. Sounds mighty suspicious…"

_'Suspicious… doesn't _begin_ to cover it,'_ Caitlin mused as she hugged her knees to her chest.

Then Cheetor mindlessly suggested: "Like some rat slipping info."

"AY!" Rattrap exclaimed, realising the pun for what it was.

"Speaking metaphorically, that is," the cat quickly amended with an apologetic look at the rat.

Rattrap scoffed and the cat shrugged. But, when Caitlin turned to look at Dinobot, she blinked. _'O-oh. Those gears in his mind are working overtime!'_ Sighing, she stood to her feet. She was hungry and didn't want any more drama for the moment. So, she headed for the kitchen, but she paused when she heard what Dinobot said, her hand leaning against the wall.

"It was Rattrap… who lead us into the boxed canyon. And nearly to extinction!"

Rattrap exclaimed and reeled on him. "What're you trying to say? You big lizard-head!"

"That's ridiculous!" Rhinox as he slammed his dist down.

Cheetor was quick to agree. "Rattrap wouldn't do that."

"Well, I'm not so sure," Optimus said thoughtfully.

Caitlin, mind black, turned her head to watch. She had suddenly forgotten about her stomach…

"What?" Rhinox exclaimed, his expression the epitome of disbelief.

Ignoring the stares he was receiving, the ape gestured to the rat. "Rattrap, I wanna have a word with you. In private," he stressed and the two worked into a corner to speak.

Caitlin hovered behind the other three mechs, listening with half an ear. Her mind whirred around what Tigatron had said and the accusation Dinobot had made. Then, in the awkward silence that followed, Cheetor asked the question that was on everyone's minds. (Well, except the raptor's). "You really don't think that Rattrap's hacking with the Predacons, do you?"

Rhinox was quick to reply with a firm: "Not a chance!" Then, the conversation was interrupted.

"E-chu—GET _SCRAPPED_ Optimus!" Rattrap yelled angrily. "You think I was working with the _Preds_? O-oh! You gotta whole other program to run, you oversized buffoon!"

Optimus knocked the rat out of his way. "Maximals! Rattrap's loyalty to us has been brought into serious question."

"Oh, come Optimus!" Rhinox stressed, trying to reason with him and defending his friend. "He's no spy!"

"The repeated ambush of Maximal operations, suggest otherwise," Optimus replied. "We'll see. Rattrap! I'm ordering you on a solo mission. You're to search for Energon… in Sector 12."

Caitlin flinched, just as Cheetor exclaimed in horrification: _"The Lava Pits_?! That's a death sentence, Optimus. 12's one big Energon storm!"

"And within weapons range of the Predacons ship," Rhinox added with a disapproving frown.

"Think of it as a test of loyalty," Optimus suppled.

Caitlin twitched into action. Without anyone noticing, she slipt out of the room as Rattrap said: "Eh, thanks for nothing, _comrades_. I'm blowing dis taco stand. Beast mode!"

"I know you're hot losing the pod, but you don't really think…?"

"This mission should answer that question… once and for all. Now Caitlin…" he looked around and groaned. "Where is she _now_?"

* * *

Caitlin had hidden herself in the kitchen, when Cheetor entered. He found her huddled in a corner, munching mindlessly on an apple. She stared, fixated on a spot on the wall, eyes withdrawn and unseeing. Carefully, the cat approached. It told how far she was out of it, when she didn't even blink. He waved his hand in front of her eyes. Not even a flinch. "CAITLIN!" he yelled.

He somehow managed to keep back his laughter; watching as Caitlin spat out her apple—jumped into the air and fell with a 'WTF?!' expression on her face. Then, she blinked upon noticing him and sighed, "Oh, it's _you_ Cheetor."

"Yeah. I'm here to tell you that you have to stay inside the ship. Optimus' orders."

"What fun," she drawled and reached for the hand given to her. Cheetor brought her smoothly to her feet. "I'm in trouble, aren't I?"

Cheetor frowned at her. "Yeah. You gave everyone a heart attack when you ran off like that."

_'Yeah, and wouldn't you?'_ her inner self scoffed.

She whacked that side of her. _'Quiet you!'_

"I'll try not to make a habit of it," she assured that cat, her eyes shifting to the side. Cheetor, however, smiled. He spun around when he heard his name being called. He promised he'd join her later to play that chess game and bounded off. Caitlin watched his back. A sad, distant expression flitted over her face as she watched him leave. "He's a lot like Alex," she whispered.

"Who's Alex?"

Caitlin spun at the growling voice of Dinobot. "None of your business!" she snarled and made a move to budge past him.

But, Dinobot simply caught her and easily held her captive, and still, in his grasp. Catching his optics, she glared into his eyes. Even without being pinned by his strength, she still wouldn't have backed down in the battle of wills. However, Dinobot caught a hidden emotion behind her defensive anger. Seeing it, he slowly released her from his grasp. Caitlin stumbled back into the wall, flinching in on herself. Then, she peaked at him, quickly ducked under his outstretched arms: and bolted down the hallway. The raptor was left to stare at her lack of presence, a pondering look on his normally had and angry face.

* * *

Caitlin didn't return to her room, instead she made her way towards the back exit, and ran off without anyone noticing.

It was later in the night, when she finally made her way to the Predacon ship. She found the others were there also. She frowned, wondering what was going on. But, perhaps Rattrap was too much of a risk to be left in Predacon hands… if he actually was a traitor. She found it quite… odd; given the fact Dinobot had done a big song and dance about Rattrap betraying them, never-minding the irony of his statement. Suddenly, she watched open-mouthed as the attack started: and gunfire was wrecked out. She sat down against some boulders, folding her arms across her knees as she watched.

She frowned upon seeing Terrorsaur speaking to Rattrap. Upon seeing Optimus, the red pterodactyl ordered something. Optimus shot at Optimus, knocking him out of the sky…

That was when she saw the newest Predacon. It was a gold and black femme. She was approaching the fallen Optimus. Cheetor shot at her, but the femme simply ignored her wounds. She kept up her slow stride to the charging cat. And, when he was near enough: she kicked him down. She leant down to speak to him: then promptly ran off and disappeared.

She was _so_ going to shoot that femme next time she saw her!

Dinobot approached Terrorsaur and Rattrap. Even from where she was sitting: it was obvious the raptor was hell-bent on getting to the rat. He pushed the pterodactyl aside to grasp the rat under the chin—then Megatron appeared. The purple t-rex grasped Dinobot's head between his head-hand. They spoke words until Terrorsaur arrived. Rattrap looked at all three… 'I wish I was down there! Then I'd know what was going on!' Then the rat shot Terrorsaur's head off.

The highlight of her day happened then. Dinobot sucker-punched Megatron under his chin; and she chuckled darkly at that as he fell. He spat out one of his teeth before gravity slam-dunked him to the ground. Then, she felt an ominous presence behind her... "Hello Princess," a dark voice sneered. "What a delight to see you…"

Turning, Caitlin glared up at the smirking bastard; and without so much as a How-di-doo, he punched a fireball at her: and she was sent flying. She landed on Megatron's back with a groaned, winded.

Dinobot instantly noticed her. He growled when her eyes opened to catch his gaze. "What are you doing here?"

She smiled. "Sightseeing. I've never been to the Dark Syde before… and I was curious." Without another word, she hopped up and grasped both Dinobot's and Rattrap's hand. She shot them both into the air—just as Optimus ordered the retreat. Rattrap clung to her, but she threw them both into the air once they were high enough, and out of weapons' range. "Revert to Beast Mode!" she yelled. With a flurry of limbs and compartments, the rat landed on her back and she landed on the raptor's back. Seeing the raptor's stricken expression, she patted his shoulder. "Just run forwards, Dinobot. I'll take care of the rest."

The former Predacon spared her disbelieving glance, but bolted forward… and flew through the air (more like ran).

Rattrap summed up the situation perfectly. In a very high pitched screech. "THIS IS INSANE!"

Caitlin just laughed.

_'Welcome to my world. Where the drugs ain't needed and the sanity ain't heeded!'_

_'It does make life all the more interesting, don't it?' _ The wild part of her exclaimed, enjoying the wind dance in her hair.

* * *

When they were back inside the base; Caitlin regretted the flight back. She had found herself the darkest corner of the command room: and there she sat, curled up and holding her head as a migraine hit her. She watched between pain for her head and amusement between Dinobot's and Rattrap's situation. The raptor was closing in on the rat, his blender-sword spinning as he marched towards the startled rat.

"Now, I will terminate the traitor myself!" he proclaimed as Rattrap raised his arms, scurrying backwards…

Until Optimus halted the raptor, "No, allow me," he said. "To congratulate him!" The others shared surprised glances. Caitlin had to chuckle at their looks, then inwardly kicked herself as the two shook hands. "Well done Rattrap… You have the chip?" he asked, cocking his brow.

Rattrap pulled it out. "Eh, it's a Maximal decoder. They must have recovered it from a wreckage crash,"

Cheetor laughed. "No wonder they hacked our communications. They were using _our_ decoder!"

"It's funny how that works," Caitlin muttered from her corner pitifully, and the cat had the audacity to chuckle at her.

Dinobot, however: was experiencing some processor difficulties. It either wasn't catching up, or he was refusing to believe it. "You mean his capture, his betrayal… were all a set up?"

Caitlin had to give it to the rat and the ape: they were very good actors. Had fate not deigned them this hand, she thought they'd have a fine career in acting.

"Eh!" Rattrap shrugged as if it were nothing.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Rhinox asked.

"Probably to keep his cover safe," Caitlin spoke up. She stood to her feet, but was unsteady. She held her head in her hands and dropped down onto a chair. "I'm going to be moping about this for a while," she whispered to herself, trying to block out as much light as possible to her eyes.

"Yes. We had to keep it a secret, to keep his cover save. Especially during the battle. Although, you didn't need to make it that believable," the ape said, massaging his shoulder.

"Hey! Eh-eh! What can I say, heh. I was _trying_ to miss," the rat replied and then laughed.

Caitlin had to chuckle, but fell forward again, groaning. "Making raptors fly hurts more than falling offa cliff." Her stomach wasn't faring any better either. She felt like she was dying. Her mind came to dooming premonition.

_'That is it. This is how I die. Goodbye cruel world! It was nice knowing you. Think fondly of me with bittersweet agony and tortuous love."_

Unaware of her thoughts, Optimus turned to face her. "I want to talk to you privately, Caitlin. Come with me to my quarters."

Making a face at him behind his back, she stood to her feet, she used the wall to guide her along. "Sure, why not? Man… I feel like I'm ten again, and I'm being lectured on behaving childishly."

Dinobot sent her a deadpan look. "You _are_ a child."

She sent him a deadpan like. "Nope, not a child," she replied tersely. "Never have been. I was never allowed to be." Growing under her breath, she disappeared down the doorway.

Entering Optimus' quarters, Caitlin was met with a stare would have given her; if she'd disobeyed (yet again) a direct order. In response, she folded her arms, instantly bristling at that look. She felt her defenses rise quickly and suddenly. Optimus was surprised by the sudden defensiveness and fierceness of her gaze. He sighed. "You were told to stay at the base." However, Caitlin's eyes just hardened. The ape noticed the slight movement in her arms as she pressed her fingernails against her forearms. She bit her tongue and said nothing. Optimus was confused by her reaction, thinking that she would have said something. She did not come across as a submissive, timid person. "Is something wrong, Caitlin?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she prowled forward and sat down on his chair that overlooked the window. Her gaze trailed a passing herd of zebra.

Optimus decided to take an unusual approach with her. He still did not know much about her, even after all this time with her. So, he shifted to robot form and took the other seat in front of her. He switched on the holo-projector to start up a chess game, and leant back as he waited for her to notice it. Once she did, she immediately chose black.

Optimus moved first. "What's on your mind?"

Caitlin spoke the directions then leant back. "Being told that something shot outta my chest, is never a good way to start questioning something."

His turn. "You could have told us from the beginning."

Her turn. "Perhaps I was waiting, til I was used to the fact that I'm around transforming robots. After being sent to this place by creatures from my nightmares."

"You could have told us some of what had happened to you."

"I don't trust easily."

"You could have given us a rundown version of it…"

"Yeeee-sss, because it's _that_ simple. I might as well storm Megatron's forces with a single sword and slice my way into Valhalla!"

Deadpan stare… "You've been around Dinobot too much."

She scoffed, watching as her horse got taken away. "You say that like it's a _bad_ thing."

He watched his bishop get taken by Caitlin's pawn. He wondered how she'd hidden it. "Just be careful around him."

"I _do_ know what I'm getting into with him, Optimus. He's a former Predacon, but he's a Predacon with honour. And a nice sense of humour…"

"What about Rattrap? You take lessons from him also…"

She reclaimed her horse. "Would you rather having a bored rat roaming around the place?"

He thought about that. Then he took her Queen. "Point taken. But, you could _at least_ tell me a _little_ about what happened to you before you came to be on this planet."

"I'll take _that_ back!" she sang, exchanging her pawn with the Queen. She continued without any emotion in her voice. It seemed she was forcing herself to stay apathetic to what she was saying, as she continued, somewhat robotically: "I was abducted by the aliens that sent that probe. They changed my DNA, made me a hybrid between mine and their species. And, then, they did something else, which I have no wish to go through ever again."

He lost his castle. "They changed you, didn't they?"

She placed her Queen out of range. "Yes."

He moved his King to the side. "Why?"

She placed a castle into position to block the ape's bishop. "Because their enemies sent Vincent to aid the Preds. I was sent here to help you Maximals."

He used his final trump card: he took away her castle. "Why would they do that?"

"I have no idea," she frowned. Then she placed her queen in its final position, and declared: "Check mate."

Optimus blinked, startled. He looked down at the board, and realised what had happened. "You sacrificed that castle to gain the advantage, by placing it to block my bishop in line for you to take it… I should have paid more attention to the Queen and the other castle, where my King was."

"You should have," she concurred. Linking her fingers together, she leant her elbows on the table and her head on her hands. "But you didn't."

He looked into the hazel eyes of the human who'd been sent to aid them. He blinked. "How would they know about this war?"

"They are creators and destroyers of life. Regardless of their history, I don't think the rules of time are relevant to them. They probably think they're above it, by my reckoning."

He blinked. Once. Twice. Thrice. "Creators… and… Destroyers?"

She stared up at him with soulful eyes. "If I fail, there might be the possibility that they'll take a _permanent_ solution to the problem." She saw him freeze as the revelation hit him. He gaped at her, too shocked to even form the words he wanted to say. "Like I said, Optimus," she continued, turning off the game. She stood to her feet, "I didn't think it'd be a good idea to tell you. Not _only_ will you be thinking about the war, you'll also have _this_ hanging over your head."

Optimus could only watch as she gave him a wry smile and approached the doorway. However, he had to say something. An idea flashed through his processor, "Caitlin!" She paused and turned her head to look at him. He gestured to the chess board. "You put a lot on your shoulders. Maybe you might take some time to play a game of chess with me every now and then," he suggested, leaving the option hanging.

The smile he received was worth it. "I'd like that." Then she smirked, "I'd be more concentrated on kicking a robot's butt, then thinking about my panicking thoughts."

He frowned, but then laughed and shook his head. "You're one of a kind, Caitlin."

"I sincerely hope so," she replied, half-jokingly. "I don't think the world would cope. _One_ of me is bad enough…"

The ape chuckled as she walked out, a smirk filtering over her lips. But, he spied something in her eyes that caused him to frown. There had been more to that sentence, than a joke…. He wondered what. But, he decided not to ask her. It was obviously something she didn't want attention drawn to. Or to talk about_. _

_'Give it a time'_, he thought to himself,_ 'and she'll be able to speak with me easily about sensitive topics… or at least a little bit…'_

Caitlin returned to her room, avoiding all the other mechs, which was nothing short of a miracle. She curled up in a foetal position and quickly fell asleep.

When Cheetor opened the door to talk to her, he found her deeply asleep. A frown marred her face, but she was in a too deep a sleep to come out of it. Frowning, the cat transformed to beast mode and leapt atop the berth. He curled up behind to her give her comfort. She groaned, pushing away from him. But with a nudge from his tail, she curled up further into his fur. He heard her mumble, but they were inaudible against his shoulder.

He curled tighter around her, lending her his comfort. He was unsure of what else he could do…

Rattrap poked his head through the doorway, mouth poised to ask a question: but paused when he saw the pair. He smirked, "What's going on here?"

The cat hissed at him to be quiet. He turned a concerned gaze down at her. "I think she's having a nightmare… but she's not coming out of it."

The rat frowned and entered the door. He watched as Caitlin groaned, shaking her head back and forth; experiencing her nightmare within the dark recesses of her mind. A place neither bot could enter. Her mouth formed words, as if she was speaking to someone: but no sound escaped past her lips. Her hands opened and clenched at Cheetor's fur. Yeah, whatever she was experiencing in her sleep was distressing her. Not exactly a nightmare, but not exactly a sweet dream either. Leaning down, Rattrap brushed some hair out of her face. "How long has this been happening?"

"Not all the time," Cheetor frowned, placing his head beside Caitlin's. "But they happen often enough."

Frowning thoughtfully, the rat unintentionally stroked her temple in thought. But, both bots noticed immediately when Caitlin began to quieten. They shared a glance. When Caitlin finally sighed, released Cheetor and turned to her side, one hand under her cheek: Rattrap withdrew. "I think she'll be fine now," he said. He heard the Cheetor whisper a goodnight and then returned to his own room. But, on his way out: he bumped into the solid frame of Dinobot. The raptor had been watching from the doorway. He sent the rat a dark glare, turned on his claws without a single word: and disappeared into his room. Rattrap blinked at Dinobot's door, then back to where Caitlin was now sleeping peacefully. He forced himself to enter his own quarters and got on his own berth.

He wondered what was causing her nightmares…


	11. Chapter 10

_**Chapter 10: "A Better Mousetrap"**_

It was some time after the events at the Predacon base, that Caitlin started to feel better. If only a little. She kept playing chess with the ape every now and again, but currently: she was watching Rhinox set up something. It was to become a security program called: _Sentinel_. She had yawned throughout the technological, Maximal-technician jargon—and had opted for outs in his attempts to get her to help. So, now she stood to the side, watching a hologram as a tyrannosaurus rex (that looked suspiciously—an amusingly—like Megatron). Rhinox was showing Optimus the security measures of Sentinel. She avoided the terms he used and instead, chuckled over the image. It was very, very amusing; thinking of Megatron actually experiencing that done to him in person. Rattrap's, voice however: brought her back to what they were saying. His obnoxiously high-pitched voice brought her straight out of her daydream. (Though, his voice wasn't exactly that obnoxious: it was too early in the morning for this crap!) She glared at them, but they didn't notice.

"Hee-hee! Beast or bot. Old Sentinel here, takes 'em down!" Rattrap exclaimed, drawing out the last word and she just had to chuckle.

"You said: '_Make the base impregnable!'_" the rhino said proudly, shaking his head from side to side, pleased with himself.

Caitlin gave him a round of applause as Optimus chuckled. "Well done. How long until Sentinel is fully operational?"

"Give him a few mega-cycles," Caitlin piqued up for the rhino. "He needs to insert the friend and foe program."

Rhinox nudged her with his elbow, gently. "So you _were_ paying attention."

She budged him back with her shoulder and smirked. "I pay attention to the important things. Not all that heedlessly needless jargon that makes my head spin."

Rhinox was about to reply when the alarm sounded. Caitlin hopped-skipped-and-jumped to Cheetor's side. He was at his computer, scanning for Predacon signatures as usual. He took his job seriously, that cat. But usually, be preferred being outside on the run. Typical really. "Hey Big-bot," he said. "There's a Predacon making a scene in Sector 9. Looks like Waspinator…"

"_Again_?" Caitlin drawled. She sneered and scoffed. "Don't they have anything _better_ to do, then commit their annoying existence to the Domination of the Galaxies, and whatnot?"

"These are Predacons you're talkin' bout," Rattrap spoke up with a smirk.

She scoffed at him, but didn't mute the point. Optimus, however, paid extreme attention behind Cheetor's shoulder. "That's the third Predacon we've spotted in that sector, for the last three days. Hmm," the ape hummed thoughtfully. He stared at the landscape on the screen. Caitlin leant against the cat's shoulder as they watched the ape think. "Cheetor. Contact Tigatron. Have him meet me at co-ordinates 4-5-8."

"Ask how he's been, too," Caitlin added over Cheetor's shoulder as the little cat contacted the big cat.

"I was planning on it," he replied, smiling mischievously.

Chuckling, she gave the cat a half-hug. It was a thank you for helping with her nightmares (since he told her about them) and just for being there. She turned to Rhinox when he called her name. "Come here," he said, gesturing to her. Cocking her brow, she approached. Her head tilted to the side when she was in front of him. "Go get Dinobot. He's going to need to be informed about the new program."

"Oh, but of _couuurrsse_!" she exclaimed and rolled her eyes. "_I'm_ the one that has to go get the irritable raptor! Make the rat go get 'im!"

The rhino pinned her with an infuriatingly calm look. "You know what those two are like together."

She scoffed, but turned on her heels and went to the lift. "Fine," she snapped. "I'll go get him!" ...and disappeared from sight.

Stepping out of the shadow of the light, she pressed her watch that served as miniature computer. She typed in it, for it to search Dinobot's location. Finding him, she cursed colourfully enough to make even Rattrap blush. The damned raptor was near an Energy field. It wasn't easy to contact him from where she was, which meant she had to make her way to him. _'Damn it. So much for taking the lazy approach!' _"Damn that patrolling lunatic," she hissed under her breath. "Leave me to run after him cos he's too far away to be contacted easily." Sighing, she set off along the easiest track into the direction the battle-hungry raptor had taken.

Cursing his scaly hide all the way.

* * *

When she finally reached Dinobot's position, she stopped for a breather. She took a deep breath… "DINOBOT!"

She had caught his attention. The raptor turned around and spotted her. Quickly, he made his way towards her. "What is the problem?" he asked, casting his raptor-eyes over her, searching for any injuries. Not finding any, he sent her a look that said: '_What do you require my attention for, now that you've got it?_' or maybe it was the: _'You're not injured, why the hell are you interrupting my patrol for?'_

So, she sent him her widest, brightest smile. "Nothing really. Rhinox just wants you back, so you'd see the new security program… _thingy_."

He snarled in annoyance, but sighed. "Then let's go." And walked past her without a second glance.

She scoffed behind his back, but decided not to comment. She allowed a small smirk to flow over her face before she followed. She noticed that the former Predacon slowed down just enough for her to keep up. Whether he noticed that she noticed, he didn't say anything. It was, after all, out of character for him. "So," she drawled as she mindlessly skipped two steps ahead, not looking at him. "How was your morning, undisturbed by the rest of the Maximals?"

He glanced at her, but looked towards the direction of the Axalon. "Good."

"Hmm. Such a small word for one of your vocabulary," she drawled. Her eyes gleamed sly as she hummed a song in her throat.

Dinobot cocked his reptilian eye-ridge at her, but didn't humour her. With a nonchalant shrug, she shimmied up the lift. She sent a blast of wind at him, knocking him flat on his back. She waved cheekily and disappeared out of sight, his red optics glaring up at the space she had been. "Foolish child," he growled under his breath. But, felt a surge of pride plus annoyance. She'd been practicing her abilities. It was obvious by how she'd sent the right amount of force-velocity behind the blast that knocked him back. He'd have to get her back for that. Training at four in the morning would suffice as his revenge.

All he had to do was convince Optimus to let him have that morning free. Despite any organization from the girl.

* * *

When Dinobot appeared in the base, he approached the screen. He watched and listened to what Rhinox had to say. However, Caitlin got the impression that he wasn't all that impressed with the system. She kept well out of the way. Sometimes, though, she wished she'd brought popcorn with her – because sometimes she felt as if she was bang-straight in the middle of an afternoon's kids TV show. Especially, when she around Dinobot and Rattrap together. Those two fought like brothers who were best friends; even if they wouldn't admit it to themselves… or anyone else for that matter.

"Danglers! Stun guns!" Dinobot snorted, moving backwards. He elbowed Rhinox out of the way. "What sort of defense grid is this?"

"What's gunning (or did he say got into?) _your_ gears?" the rhino asked with a suppressed angry frown.

"He's _Dinobot_," she drawled as it explained everything from her corner. She stood to her feet to head to the kitchens.

Dinobot growled under his breath and followed after the girl. "Those toys won't stop Predacons in battle mode. Lethal _threats_ demand lethal _response_!"

Rattrap piqued up, "Oh yeah? Well respond to _this_, Chopperface!"

Caitlin heard something and turned around to see; only to see a gun shoot something at Dinobot. It bound his legs, hips and arms with yellow coils: and he toppled over. However, she was frozen underneath him; unable to react as he fell on top of her. Thank heavens it was only were he'd have a collar bone if he was human. Otherwise, she'd have been crushed! "GAH!" she exclaimed as her back met the floor. Dinobot's was uncomfortable and directly above her. His optics were burning, his mouth only a few centimetres above her own. For a few seconds, she thought she saw surprise and the same awkwardness in the raptor, but then…

Rattrap laughed at him. She would have been laughing with him, if he hadn't unknowingly caused her to be pinned beneath the mammoth-weighing raptor. "Tanglers work pretty good on ol' Dinobutt. Heh. Maybe Preds aren't as _lethal_ as they think!" As opposed to the rat's smugness, Caitlin stared up in terror as berserker-Dinobot flew into being. He rolled onto his back (and thankfully off her) and leant her back her oxygen supply. He snapped the danglers holding him and leapt to his feet. He flashed out his blender-sword before she could even blink: and charged at Rattrap. Caitlin stood shakily to her feet as she watched, too stunned to do anything. "Oh-oh!" the rat exclaimed when he realised how seriously he'd managed to piss the raptor off. He knocked Rhinox out of the way, "Incoming!" and threw himself to the side as well—just as Dinobot slammed his sword through the console.

Groaning, she watched as a shock went straight through Dinobot; before blasting him backwards into the wall. She watched his head spin (literally) until it faced the wall. She stifled a giggle at how ridiculous he looked. But she didn't quite managed to stave off the grin that split on her face. But, she jumped by siren alarms that sprung out of nowhere. "Warning! Intruder alert!" a computer's voice said. Caitlin began to get a bad feeling… "Sentinel online. Acquiring targets."

"Show's over Rhinox," Rattrap said. "Shut it down?"

Rhinox turned on the rat, angrily. "_How_? The console's junk thanks to you and Dinobot!"

Caitlin spun Dinobot's head back into place as Cheetor appeared suddenly, and instantly stepped back. "Hey! What's going on?!"

"Sentinel thinks that we're intruders… We have to get out of here!" Rhinox exclaimed urgently. "Help Dinobot!"

Snapping into attention, Caitlin sent a blast of wind beneath the raptor. It caused him to stand prematurely on his feet. He swayed slightly, using Cheetor to help steady himself. A bit out of character, but it said a lot for that that blast of electricity did to his circuits… Whistling, she pocketed her device, grinning at the saved icon.

"Woo-what about that friend or foe program?" Rattrap asked.

Rhinox stood over the rat impressively and poked him in the shoulder. "_That's_ what I was installing when you pulled this stunt!"

Caitlin whistled low under her breath. She'd never before experienced Rhinox's wrath before. For some reason: that scared her more than Dinobot's berserker rages. And _THAT_ was saying something. Rattrap, however, appeared to know exactly how much he'd pissed the rhino off. "Uh… um… oops," he chuckled nervously, looking away.

She restrained her desire to whack the rat over the head. But she doubted it'd do his processer any good. Might make his brain shorten out. Not a good idea, considering the circumstances. "Opps, is right," she scoffed. She glanced at the lift. She wondered if she'd be able to use it to get out. Did Sentinel lock lifts?

"Defense grid armed and ready," Sentinel proclaimed.

Caitlin leapt into action.

"Let's move!" Rhinox yelled.

…Caitlin was already gone.

"Unauthorized personnel detected. Perimeter shield activated."

Caitlin leant against Cheetor's arm as she panted, trying to catch her breath after her mad dash to get out of reach. Cheetor was looking a bit better: but he didn't at all like the situation they were in. "Mega-bummer! Sentinel's locked us out!" the cat groaned; and she echoed it.

"Rattrap come in! Rattrap do you read me?" Rhinox asked his comlink. "_Slag_! The shield's jamming our comlinks!"

"Apparently… you've built a better mousetrap," Dinobot clarified the situation.

Caitlin cocked her brow, bewildered, "Don't you mean… _rattrap_?" She dodged the raptor's knuckles as he was about to knock them against her head. "And why's the blasted rat _still_ in there?"

Rhinox shuffled his feet in hopeless exasperation. "He said something about shutting Sentinel off."

She folded her arms and glowered at the shield surrounding the Axalon. She rolled her eyes. "Nice timing. Give it to the rat to tick the raptor off when a new program is being installed."

* * *

Caitlin watched as the three shot at the shield surrounding the Axalon. To no avail it appeared. She sighed and shot a rock through the air. It then bounced back to hit Cheetor in the middle of the forehead. She chuckled at his expression, which instantly caused the cat to glare at her. "HEY! Watch where you're firing those rock torpedoes!"

She raised her arms in innocence. "HEY! I didn't know it'd do that!" But, she failed to hide the mirth on her face.

Cheetor growled as Rhinox said: "Well, we can't blast our way through it."

"You _so_ did know!" Cheetor huffed, drawing Caitlin back to him. Then, the robots twitched .They'd been in robot form for too long, once again. "On no! The Energon fields are starting to mess with our circuits!" And once again: the cat does point out the obvious.

She huffed in reply to his rebuke and folded her arms. "I did _not_ know!"

"Transform to Beast Mode," Rhinox said. She watched as they transformed. She tried to watch all the limbs, trying to figure out how it worked, but gave up. Her head spun just from trying to make sense of robot and organic meshing together.

Once he'd transformed, the cat gave her a determined stare. "You so did!"

"If I had known, I would've made that rock bigger!" she snapped, forming a fist as she stamped a foot towards the cat.

Then there came the arrival of Optimus. He transformed before he fell to the ground. He instantly turned to Rhinox for answers. "What's going on Rhinox?" I got a message from Sentinel about intruders in the base."

Rhinox sighed. "It's talking about Rattrap. He's trapped inside."

"If we don't figure out how to deactivate Sentinel soon… he's toast!" the cat gulped.

Her eyes flashed. "He'd better deactivate Sentinel or die trying. Cos if he dies, I'm killing him myself!" she snarled. She punched at the air, sending a fireball shooting outwards. Everyone watched it disappear. She folded her arms, daring anyone to say anything. Then suddenly—an explosion rocked up from beneath them. It sent them all flying. And… for the second time within 24 hours: Caitlin was pinned beneath Dinobot's mammoth weight. "Gah! Getoffame you colossal fossil!"

Cheetor looked around. "Jumping gyros! What was that?!"

"Let's find out," Optimus replied. "Battle mode!"

Dinobot instantly leapt off Caitlin and followed in the charge towards the hole that had been made. Caitlin, however, held her spinning head and glared at anything that she saw that moved. And this happened to be everything as a matter of fact. She groaned pitifully, resisting the urge to make herself a hole and bury herself. "It _must_ be a Monday!"

"Tigatron?! What is this?" Optimus exclaimed.

"It's a long and very ugly story," Tigatron replied.

"I wanna hear it," Optimus replied. "As soon as we've dealt with our other problem?"

The tiger blinked. "Problem?" and was then quickly filled in about recent events as they walked back towards the Axalon.

"Hi Tigatron!" Caitlin yelled from the ground. The tiger looked down at her. Her hair was in a mess, flowing behind her back. Her elastic band that usually kept it back lay on the ground. Apparently it had snapped during the commotion. The girl appeared to just realise this, because she glared down at the offending piece of material. She punched the ground then yelped as she hurt her knuckles. Promptly, she threw herself backwards with an air of finality until she lay prone on the ground like an unbound, willing sacrifice to the Fates that be. "_Why me_?" she asked the skies. "What did I do to deserve this? I'm a good person…, _aren't I?_"

Okay, maybe _not_ so willing…

The tiger only had one question as he watched her mutter up at the sky with curses. "What is the matter with you?"

She sighed and shook her hands. "Oh nothing. It's just one of those days."

"One of those days?"

She stared blankly up at the tiger, running her fingers through her unbound hair. Her face scrunched up when she caught knots, but otherwise, she just kept staring into the distance. She ignored the questioning glances of the four confused mech's around her. Suddenly, she saw a flicker out of the corner of her eyes. She turned to watch as the shields began to disappear around the Axalon. And once again, the little cat decided to state the obvious with: "Hey! The shield went down!"

"No!" Rhinox whispered in denial.

"What is it Rhinox?" Optimus asked gently, concerned.

Rhinox gestured weakly at the ship. "Sentinel wouldn't drop the shield if an intruder was still… _active_."

A pang hit her chest. She laid a comforting hand against her larger mech's forearm, lending him some comfort. The rhino had been the closest to the rat, after all. Cheetor however, was not as willing to believe these turn of events. "Rattrap… _gone?_" he vehemently shook his head, refusing to believe it. "No way! I-I don't believe it!"

Optimus placed a hand upon Cheetor's shoulder to comfort him. "He was a difficult Maximal to deal with. At times, impossible. But I'll remember him with honour."

Caitlin scoffed and shook her head. "_Him_? Die?" She grasped at threads, any threads, to deny what had happened. She started to pace furiously behind the others. "He's too _annoying_ to die! He's like cockroach! You think you get rid of 'em, an' they come back when ya back's turned!" She stopped her tirade, realising that she was acting as though she would… miss him. And it hurt to think she wouldn't get to hear that blasted rat complain about everything and nothing – and argue with Dinobot and Optimus…

Dinobot was of a similar mindset, except he wasn't overly fond of the rat. "I won't disgrace his memories with lies!" he snarled. "He was a stinking carnivorous pestilence! Still… in some perverse way, I will miss him," he admitted a bit more gently (for him).

"Sure he smelt bad. He was a rat. But he was my best friend," Rhinox said sadly, patting Tigatron's head.

Suddenly, when Caitlin had just been about to release her tears: the sound of the lift opening caused her attention to zero in on the Axalon. There, Rattrap was slowly lowered down like some damned hero. (She half expected the sunset to behind him, actually, but immediately slapped that notion away.) She was torn between relief and annoyance at the sight of him. She chocked back a sob as she laughed, "SEE! A bloody cockroach is what he is!"

Using his tail as a tissue, the rat mocked their sentiments. "Oh boo. Boo-hoo! Oh… Don't stop now! You motorheads are _killing_ me!"

"Why you… heartless… insensitive… little… I'm gonna… YOU'RE DEAD!" she roared, but sat down instead of charging at him like she wanted to. She sighed with abject relief. "Once I get over the fact that you're alive and not dead." She rubbed at her temples, feeling her heart thud loudly in her chest. Damn, she'd almost hyperventilated!

Optimus laughed and Cheetor exclaimed the rat's name in disbelief. Rhinox, however looked both confused and relieved. "Rattrap? How did you…"

"Avoid getting scrapped?" the rat finished for the rhino, since he seemed at a loss for words. He shook his rat hand dismissively. "Hee-hee! Well, it was no oil-bath, but uh… let's face it. Ain't a defence system that I can't get around. _Right_ Sentinel?"

"Acknowledged," Sentinel replied.

Rattrap chuckled. "Hey, you just gotta know how to _talk_ to 'im."

"You're one of a kind, Rattrap," Caitlin drawled as everyone approached him. Then, with a glare, she whacked him over the back of the head. She clicked her fingers and sent herself up through the lift-entrance, disappearing out of sight. The growling mutters and stomping that could be heard, made the rat wince a bit.

"I think she's annoyed with you," Cheetor commented as he stared up where she'd disappeared.

"Gee, ya think?"

* * *

The next day, Caitlin was propped up against the side of the ship. She stared up at the clouds since the others were doing other things. It was decided that today, they'd all have the day off their usual business. That being patrolling for what the Predacons might be doing one way or another. They didn't have to do abide by their schedule; however, they had to keep their senses alert for any Predacon activity. She'd taken the opportunity to spend some time alone before she met with Cheetor. She wasn't feeling social. But the cat had wanted to go racing along the planes. She still didn't know whether she wanted to or not.

"Watcha doin out 'ere?" an accented voice broke her train of thought.

Titling her head up, she found Rattrap had found her. "What's it look like?"

Rattrap frowned, but stepped towards her and sat. He glanced at her then turned away. "So… How's your mornin' been?"

She shrugged. "Not too bad. Yours?"

"Can't complain, but… what are you doing today?"

"Cheetor said he'd meet me here to go race along the planes."

Rattrap opened his mouth to say something else, but as soon as he did: Cheetor came racing around the corner. He came to a halt before them, sending a cloud of dust that covered the rat and human. The two shared a wry glance then turned back to the cat. "Sorry I'm late!" he exclaimed. "But Optimus asked me to get something for him."

Caitlin hummed noncommittally in reply and leant back. She closed her eyes, feeling warm and comfortable in the sunshine. Now, she _really_ didn't want to move right now. This spot was nice. "Sit down Cheetor. You look like you could do with a lie down."

The cat pouted. "But I wanted to race!" Rattrap took this moment to leave, casting glances back at the pair as he disappeared out of sight.

"We have all the time in the world to race," she replied without opening her eyes. "But, if you insist: you're gonna have to drag me there. I'm feeling quite lethargic today."

Cheetor shook his head, cocking a 'brow.' He placed his hands on his hips. "Aren't you like that all the time?"

One eye opened as the brow above it rose. "I'll have you know, kitty-cat, that I can be quite athletic when I wanna be. I just simply prefer to lie down and relax."

"You're boring!" Cheetor whined, rolling his eyes.

She froze. A memory resurfaced into her inner like: like an age-old film that had been crumpled up, but could still play.

_"Race with me, Caitlin!" Alex, a young boy of five years asked. He stared up at his older sister, staring at her with his large chocolate eyes. He pouted. A pout nearly no one could resist._

_Caitlin looked down at her second-youngest brother with a blank look. Her mind was still caught up in her latest argument with their mother. She frowned. "I don't want to. If you want to race, go ahead. But don't go too far, alright. Stay where I can see you."_

_"You're boring!" Alex whined, tears pooling in the corner of his eye. He stomped his foot and ran off/_

_"ALEX! DON"T GO OVER THERE… WATCH OUT! … ALEX, NO!"_

_Cars screeched. A crash. Screams. Her world closed in around her, suffocating her. _

_"No."_

"Caitlin? Are you alright?" Cheetor's concerned voice puller her out of her reverie.

She jumped, eyes wide. It took a moment for her to realise she'd crouched herself into a protective ball. She saw the cat's wide, green eyes and instantly relaxed. She quickly stood to her feet. A smile suddenly appeared on her face. Big and bright. She clapped her hands together enthusiastically. "Well, let's go then!" Cheetor was bewildered by the sudden change of heart and excessive glee, but decided not to bring it up. He raced after her, not willing to be left behind in the dust.

* * *

Optimus stood staring at the screen, when he noticed two Predacon signatures. They were enclosing on the area Cheetor had said he and Caitlin would be racing in. This did not bode well. He pressed the button to open communications. "Cheetor!" he yelled through the comlink, but he received no reply, just background buzzing. "Slaggit! They're already out of range!"

Rattrap entered the control room, having heard the ape's tone. He peeked out from behind the taller bot's shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Caitlin and Cheetor are racing in Sector 3-4-3. And two Predacons are closing in on them. I can't contact them either," the ape replied, his face set in worry.

"For boot 'na cold!" Rattrap cursed.

* * *

_"Stab you with scissors and let's hold hands. _  
_Blew out my birthday candles... wished that you were dead. _  
_Slice you to ribbons, lay next to me. _  
_Let's give each other lobotomies. _  
_Slit your throat & zip you up. _  
_I won't fuck up your pretty makeup. _  
_Tell your friends, try not to brag. _  
_You're sleeping in a Louis Vuitton body bag. _  
_To be ourselves, we have to destroy ourselves... _  
_To be ourselves, we have to destroy ourselves... _  
_Pretend I love you for another year. _  
_Starve myself so I'll fucking disappear. _  
_Your red-dipped fingers look like strawberries. _  
_But these gashes look like self-injuries. _  
_Slit your throat & zip you up. _  
_I won't fuck up your pretty makeup. _  
_Tell your friends, try not to brag. _  
_You're sleeping in a Louis Vuitton body bag. _  
_Depression, my new obsession... home sweet home. _  
_Self-mutilation is like a sick art show._  
_Depression, my new obsession... home sweet home. _  
_Self-mutilation is like a sick art show._  
_Depression, my new obsession... home sweet home. _  
_Self-mutilation is like a sick art show._  
_Slit your throat & zip you up. _  
_I won't fuck up your pretty makeup. _  
_Tell your friends, try not to brag. _  
_You're sleeping in a Louis Vuitton body bag._  
_I love you too. "_

Cheetor blinked as the song came to an end. It was nothing like he'd ever heard. And the things that it described…. Brrgh! It gave him the shivers! He stared at the contraption Caitlin was holding. He couldn't fathom it, but he had to ask: "And humans actually make and listen to that kind of song?" His tone deeply expressed the picture he made of disbelief: wide-eyed and gaping bewilderment.

Caitlin shrugged at the curious feline. She pocketed her IPod in her back pocket: the screen showing the name Jeffree Star; and slipped her hands into her pockets, tilting her head to face the sky. The two of them had taken a break from racing; beneath a bare tree that had been hit one too many times by lightning. It had been burnt to a crisp yet, somehow, it remained standing. She ran her tongue over her teeth as she mulled over how to explain it to the kid. She say that there were many different tastes. But, why not expand on it? She was feeling… chatty today.

"Humans are… probably the strangest breed of sentient beings to ever exist," she told him, deciding to make her answer long-winded. "Not only do we create beautiful things, we also destroy them. Only to set up something else in its stead in honour of what happened beforehand—only for that to be destroyed—and so the cycle goes on and on. Each having beginnings and endings, but each have a different meaning in different situations."

"How do you mean?" The cat was curious (and certainly confused). His ancestors may have fought alongside humans, but he'd never actually met one himself: until he'd met Caitlin.

She hummed thoughtfully in the back of her throat. Then she shrugged evasively. "What one man sees is different to how another man sees."

Now Cheetor was confused. He frowned. "What's that got to do with what you said before?"

She chuckled and held up her hands, lifting them up and down as if weighing two different things. "There are… many different beliefs. A person who lives and breathes one culture: won't have the same values as a man from another. One man may have dark skin. One man may have light skin. Bring the two different people together… and well. Humans fear what is unknown to them. And soon… that fear turns into hate. It's the same with the Arts. One object may be beautiful in the eyes of one culture or individual, but hated and despised by another. What they don't accept… is that together: they could achieve great things. But, it's my reckoning that humans aren't like that. Or at least, not completely. They're narrow-minded and shallow; abject to corruption, and fickle. They can be cruel, but they have the ability to be kind. They can be apathetic, but they have the ability to be compassionate and empathetic to other's pain. We are all two sides of the same coin. Yet, we only see one side clearly. We can like the similar music, but the lyrics and the tune will be different across cultures."

"So… that's why there are different kinds of songs?"

"Yeah, basically."

Cheetor frowned. He opened his mouth to ask something else, but his senses detected two Predacon signatures. "Waspinator and Terrorsaur are heading this way!"

Caitlin pushed urgently at the cat's shoulder. "Well, let's hide!"

"No! We fight them!" Cheetor replied, his eyes set in steely determination. He stared unflinchingly into her eyes.

She stared at him for a few seconds. She shook the image of another boy out of her head a moment later. She looked him up and down, trying to find any weak points. Trying to find any flaw in his decision, but when she found none, she shook her head. She sighed. She was defeated by those damned eyes again. "_Fine_. But first we hide. Let's have the element of surprise, yeah?"

Cheetor smirked, mirroring her own smug smile that flittered at the corner of her lips. He nudged her in the ribs as he crouched down. "Knew you couldn't resist taking those two down a peg!" he chuckled as Caitlin raised the earth to shield them from view. He crouched lower to her height, to make it easier for her to hide them.

She chuckled and nudged him back. "Quiet you. You'll alert the airheads!"

* * *

Waspinator and Terrorsaur weren't alone, however. Upon Terrorsaur's back was a certain human Predacon. He'd become a source of amusement and annoyance for a certain human Maximal. Not that said human Predacon appreciated it. To him, this shouldn't be so difficult. Glowering down at the landscape, Vincent remained mindful of Terrorsaur's daring swoops. The damned pterodactyl was always trying to throw him off his back. While he was able to use the elements, he was less experienced in the way of the wind. In fact, given the choice, he'd rather _never_ have to use it. It required a great deal of concentration and power. From what he'd seen from Caitlin: the repercussion was three days unconsciousness. He wasn't game enough to try wind out, and wind up unconscious.

He did not want to end up at the mercy of the other Predacons.

Weaknesses were not tolerated amongst the Predacons. They were usually exploited. Vincent had made it perfectly clear to the red-clad bot that he was more powerful than him. He could melt the flying dinosaur to his own berth if he wanted to: just like Caitlin had done to his chest-plate (which was a constant source of amusement when he wanted to piss the pterodactyl off. It was still as sore point with him). Staring down at the ground below, he thought he saw the earth move. But, when he glanced back as Terrorsaur flew by a blackened-bare tree, he frowned at the image of nothingness that was revealed to his side. He could have sworn…

Terrorsaur smirked. "What's up, Vinny?"

A hiss and Vincent's eyes flashed as he grasped the prehistoric chicken by the throat threateningly. "You're head up Waspinator's rear gears if you keep calling me that!"

Terrorsaur scoffed at the threat. Then he spotted Waspinator heading for a fruit tree. Smoothly, he shifted his wings to turn towards the direction of the twitching bug.

* * *

Caitlin pushed the earth back and Cheetor instantly scurried out. He remained behind the raised column of earth, however: and faced the direction the Predacons had taken. Caitlin frowned as she folded her arms and hummed thoughtfully in her throat. Her eyes narrowed on the three forms that were approaching a lone apple tree. It hovered near a stream where piranhas were usually found. She shivered at the memory of that particular place. She was still reeling from having stumbled upon a horde of teeth that charged at anything made of flesh. She wondered what sort of mood those flesh-eaters would be in. She had only saved herself back then, by hastily boiling the water around her: which sent them all swimming away.

Actually, that had been the only way she'd ever succeeded in fishing. It had been a good day that day… until Dinobot had come upon her stuffing her face with her spoils…

Shaking herself out of her reverie, she turned to face Cheetor. The cat was stalking his way towards the three Predacons.

She sighed and shook her head. "_Cheetor_…"

But, an impish grin appeared on her face and she sneaked after the feline.

* * *

Rattrap had gotten aid from Dinobot, despite his protests. Optimus had decided to send him and the saurian raptor after the cat and girl. At any other time, Rattrap would have really complained about this assignment, but not when his teammates were in danger. They were following the tracks left behind by the two youngest Maximals. No doubt, the two of them were probably already in trouble. Or… were getting into trouble. Whichever came first. It was all the same. The rat snorted. He swore those two together were practically a magnet for trouble.

Dinobot glanced down at the grumbling rat. He growled angrily. "If you do not cease your grumbling, vermin, I _will_ slice you to ribbons!"

The rat scoffed at the raptor. He sent him a: _I dare you_ look. "As if you could, Dino_butt_!"

"Try me," the raptor drawled threateningly, crouching close to the rat, daring him to antagonise him.

This time, Rattrap had the sense not to. So, he shut his trap and followed the saurian who'd taken it upon himself to march the way.

"Caitlin had better be alive when I found her annoying hide, or so help me!" the rat grumbled and cursed.

* * *

Caitlin stifled a sneeze._ 'Someone must be talking 'bout me,' _she thought as she and Cheetor closed in on the unknowing Predacons…

"Waazzzzpinator is GREATEST of PREDACONS!" the wasp declared. He flew out of the tree in his beast form, going round and round in circles. Terrorsaur and Vincent were arguing over the nickname that the pterodactyl had so graciously bestowed upon the irritating human male; ignoring the wasp and the world around them completely.

Caitlin snickered, nudging her partner in crime and trouble. "I wish I had a recording device big enough to get the whole picture!" The cat chuckled in reply as he transformed. Then, without warning, he shot at the two Predacons in the tree. Caitlin raised her arms and sent a blast of wind like a large, invisible fly-swatter that knocked the headache-inducing wasp to the ground. When the three Predacons recomposed themselves, they finally saw two laughing forms running off into the distance.

Terrorsaur was the first to react, having quickly filtered through his data banks for a suitable insult for a human female. "WHY, YOU BITCH!"

"THAT'S A _COMPLIMENT_, YOU WASTE OF A SPARK!" Caitlin catcalled back and shook her fist. "Now come down here and say that to my face!"

Terrorsaur screeched once more in his own guttural language, outraged. He transformed in the air as he swooped after them and activated his missiles, and started firing.

Cheetor, meanwhile, gaped at Caitlin's boldness as they ducked under the firepower of the enraged Predacon. He swerved to the right to avoid a missile that came a little too close for comfort. He found Caitlin's eyes amidst the chaos, and yelled as he ducked underneath a missile: "You have a death wish!"

_'Pot… Kettle.'_

She swerved to the left, a bit behind him, and displayed an impressive bound as she leapt over a dead trunk. "No, I don't!"

Cheetor turned to run back towards her. "Then whataya call that?!" he exclaimed, firing up at the pterodactyl and catching him in the leg.

She shot a stream of flames into the air, forcing Terrorsaur to fly backwards to avoid them. "Ringing death's doorbell and running away!"

Then, the wasp arrived. "WAZZZZPINATOR WILL SHOOT THEM! Wazzzzpinator will show Megatron that he is greatest of Predacons!"

Caitlin actually paused in the middle of the fight, to give him a deadpan stare. Then she shot herself into the air and landed on his back. She grabbed him by the antenna before he could transform and grabbed her dagger from her sleeve. She shoved it through a bit of wiring at the base of his neck (remembering a little tid-bit of information she'd gotten from both Rattrap and Dinobot). With a little help from her mind, she leveraged the head off his body: and it fell to the ground.

"HEADS UP CHEETOR!" she yelled as she stood upon the wasps' body, and used it as a surfboard as she headed to the ground.

The cat looked up at the head. With a grin, he leapt into the air to catch it.

"Ohh… Wazzzzpinator will get fleshy-bot and cat-bot!" the poor, poor wasp grumbled pitifully.

"Can it, Bug-boy!" Cheetor snapped, slapping the head as he dodged a missile Terrorsaur sent after him.

* * *

Rattrap and Dinobot had heard the commotion long ago. It was just a matter of getting there in time as they ran to its location. However, they finally came upon the scene: a place where Dinobot remembered Caitlin stuffing her face with Piranha flesh. She had tried hiding from his lessons around that time. And the punishment she received for it had become the reason she was now a stickler for being early or right on time. Exactly!

"What the hell are they doin'?!" Rattrap exclaimed. Then his optics spotted something… strange. "Is Caitlin… using Waspinator as a surfboard?!"

"…Interesting method of transportation."

Then they noticed a certain human approaching Caitlin.

They ran faster.

* * *

"Why _hello_ Caitlin," Vincent chuckled, appearing at her side.

Caitlin leapt off the bug's body onto the earth, softening it to help her landing. Landing smoothly on her feet, she turned to face the annoying bastard. "Why… hell-oooo Vinney!" she chuckled. But before the Predacon could react, she sent a blast of wind. She laughed triumphantly as he was sent flying into a tree: and he was knocked out upon impact. Satisfied that he wouldn't be an annoyance for the moment, she turned to face Cheetor…

To find he'd been shot in the arm.

"**_TERRORSAUR! HOW DARE YOU HARM MY LITTLE BROTHER! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!_**"

Without warning or with as much as an alarm: an unfiltered rage blazed with her. It burnt its way through her blood vessels, into the very core of her DNA structure. She saw red as she shot forward. The scene around her became a blur as her vision torpedoed towards the Predacon that had dared hurt her little brother. Terrorsaur whipped around to face the new threw. But, upon seeing it: his spark leapt out of its holdings when he saw the enraged creature that had crawled up from the bottom of the Pits.

He tried to move, but his commands went unheeded as he remained frozen in fear. "By the Inferno!" he gaped, optics wide and terrified—and then the demon was on top of him. Caitlin's hands were covered in liquid fire as she pounded at the Predacon's face without mercy. Then, just as suddenly as her attack: she stopped. But, he was hardly conscious by that time. The last thing he remembered was when she grabbed his leg in an iron grip—and used him like a hammer on the ground.

Then, he felt the feeling of weightlessness when she finally threw him into the air: using the wind to propel him off into the horizon.

Then… _nothing_ as blessed unconscious took him captive.

Gasping, she felt weak and shaky on her legs as her anger suddenly left her: like her energy had emptied all too quickly. She turned around to look down at Cheetor and sighed with relief and fell to her knees. Cheetor would survive. Thank the Fates! She closed her eyes and tried to breathe deeply. Her heart felt like a never ending kinetic ball that forever went up and down.

"By the Matrix!" she heard. Caitlin looked up with hazy eyes. Rattrap stood there with a shocked look in his optics; his gun still in his hand, but staring at her.

She _had_ to mark this in her calendar! It wasn't often the damned rat was surprised.

She groaned, feeling pain setting in her brain like a thorn that refused to move. She gripped her temples and fell back down. So much for trying to get up… "What are you two doing here?" she asked through the pain. She peaked up at them, not daring to move her hands from where they were. She didn't think the sunlight would be a friendly touch to her eyes right now.

"Optimus saw the energy signatures of some Preds closing in on ya's," Rattrap replied. She muttered in reply as he scooped her into his arms. Dinobot, however, grudgingly picked up the cat. He throw him over his shoulder… non too gently.

She hissed at the raptor. "CAREFUL!" And he nodded mindlessly in reply as they headed off.

"Remind me to never piss you off," Rattrap commented, eyeing where Vincent had remained prone in the tree.

Her eyes flashed, she growled and glared blearily up at him. "**_NO ONE_** messes with my family and get's away scot-free!"

"I'll keep that in mind," the rat replied, watching as she lost the battle to say conscious in his arms… and drift away.

Following behind the raptor, Rattrap took turns between watching where he was going: and staring down at Caitlin. He sighed. It felt nice to have her there. She looked so peaceful in her sleep. She was not wracked by nightmares she had no escape from. He frowned, remembering that night when she'd been whimpering in her sleep. He turned to face the scenery to distract himself. It… bothered him that the girl was afraid of something so badly that… it showed in her dreams.

And he was confused as to why he felt that way.

He was Rattrap. Maximal Spy. No one could handle him. But, this girl… This girl who—who was not even his own kind—was able to keep up with his verbal fights. She could brush of his insults and banter with a remark of her own, which gave him many, many glimpse as to how sharp her mind actually was. She wasn't like the femme's of his kind, physically. But, there were similarities. Her physical structure—while not made of metal and wiring—was similar. Never mind the fact that she was organic. Her body bled blood when she was injured. She was also… much more fragile when compared to a Maximal's body… or even a Predacon's for that matter.

The rat sighed with feeling. He looked at the sleeping girl in his arms, once again: and frowned.

What was that feeling that stirred in his chest when he was around her; that made him want to show her the best of him?

That… really wasn't like him.

* * *

Dinobot stared over at the musing rat. He was enjoying the silence while it noticed. But, he noticed the various expressions that appeared on the rat's face. He too, looked down at the human female. He sighed inaudibly to himself before he turned back around. Feelings arose in his spark in the presence of the human female. These were things he didn't want to acknowledge or give a name to at the best of times. But, he couldn't stop the attraction he felt for her personality. She was sharp, witty and not afraid to get her hands dirty. She was honourable as any other warrior, but more compassionate then he could ever be.

She was also much kinder and empathetic. She understood more about the others than Dinobot could ever hope to learn. She wasn't shy, but she was reserved. She wasn't afraid to yell and argue at the larger, stronger mechs: but, he noticed she flinched whenever someone raised their arm too suddenly or moved too quickly. And, there was that anger that rose every so often.

Sighing deeply, the raptor almost considered throwing off the cat and storming back by himself. He shook himself out of those dangerous thoughts. He was a former Predacon. He had turned Maximal because he believed the group would win. He had, at first, been determined to be the leader. And he was still waiting for that moment. But, he knew the truth of the matter. His position amongst the Maximals was a fragile relationship, if one could call it that.

Rattrap hated his mech fluids and made no attempt to hide it.

Rhinox simply tolerated him and that was only barely.

Cheetor was always trying to befriend him, even though he'd clearly expressed his thoughts on the matter.

Tigatron was too distant and he liked it that way.

So, that left Optimus and Caitlin.

Optimus valued his opinion on the Predacons, but not the way he wanted to do things.

And Caitlin… she showed no hatred towards him. In fact, she described him as being "_Dinobot_" when he'd stalk off to avoid the base—or rush head-long into battle without any other thought than to eliminate all hostiles. She had handled him with her sharp mind and a reserved yet aggressive behaviour. But still, she maintained the acknowledgement that he was far superior to her in physical strength and experience. She didn't take shit from anybody, however. She knew not to pry into his personal life so long as he did not pry into hers. She sought him out, but she kept herself at a distance. She conversed with him on various matters, always saying that she should get him into a chess game.

She was a warrior in her own right. But, unlike him: she wasn't interested in the glory of the battle, but for the continued survival of her own life.

She wasn't a complete Maximal nor did she harbour full Predacon ideals. But, he'd witnessed enough of the girl's temper and dark humour to know that if she wasn't so empathetic or so concerned with other's lives: she'd make a great Predacon. She would be one that even he could admit to being wary of.

She was no weakling, despite his saying so. Many times. After all, she was able to manipulate the elements. And her personality defined them.

She was as stubborn as the earth: she rarely yielded to another's will. He saw this every time she was given an order by Optimus. There was a sharp flash in her eyes, a slight clench in her firsts and a slight tension in her jaw as she gritted her teeth together. She was fiery as the flames: she was untameable. He saw this in the way she obeyed an order only when she saw the truth of it. And her will always remained strong and undaunted. She was easy-going as the water. He saw this in her calm disposition as she suffered through Cheetor's monologues and the distant gleam in her eyes when she looked into the night sky. She was as playful as the wind. He saw this in the way she smirked and smiled and plotted.

He glanced back at the girl, sleeping in the rat's arms. He felt his spark flitter in jealousy. He wanted to be the one holding her in such a vulnerable state.

He snarled at the feeling. It flinched under his anger, but it did not disappear.

* * *

Optimus stared at the two forms when they finally arrived. Then he stared at the two forms they were holding. He sighed. _Heavily_. "What happened this time?"

Dinobot was the one who replied. "We do not know the specifics. We found them while they were in battle with Terrorsaur, Waspinator and Vincent." All three conscious mechs turned to look at Caitlin as she stirred. She groaned and opened her eyes, the same time as Cheetor. Noticing his awakened state, Dinobot quickly dropped the cat to the floor.

"HEY!" Cheetor yelped from the ground, flopped onto his back.

"I thought cats were meant to land on their feet!" Caitlin chuckled. The cat glared at her, but then he was the one laughing. Rattrap promptly dropped her onto her rump. She let out an undignified "Ooof!" and glared up at the smirking rat. Then, she hissed at the snickering cat and with an evil smirk: jabbed him in his burnt arm with her pointer.

He yelped. "Hey EASY! That hurts!"

"What hurts? _This_?!" she asked in a fake concerned voice, poking the same wound as if she really didn't know.

"YES _THAT_! **_THAT HURTS_**!" Cheetor yelled, scrambling away from her to cover his wounds.

Optimus watched the bickering pair then folded his arms. "DO you two want to tell me… what in the Inferno happened?!"

Caitlin and Cheetor froze in their mini–'_Epic! Thank you!'_–argument. They turned to face the ape, pointing their fingers at each other:

"_He_ started it—"  
"_She_ started it—"  
The two yelled at the same time.

All three mechs stared down at them, but the two were on a roll!

"We were out on a run—"  
"We were out on a run—"  
"—when the cat spotted the Preds—"  
"—when I saw Waspinator, Terrorsaur and Vincent—"  
"—and then he wanted to attack em—"  
"—I wanted to attack them before they attacked us—"  
"—but I told him we should run—"  
"—I didn't want to run away and have those Preds chase us—"  
"—but he didn't want to, he wanted to attack them without back up—"  
"—so I said we should attack them or at least injure them—"  
"—so I decided to follow him so he wouldn't get into too much trouble—"  
"—but she didn't want to, so I convinced her too—"  
"—and he attacked them first and I had to make sure he wasn't hurt too badly!"  
"—and so we attacked them, and Caitlin was like—_awesome_!"

"Wait… what?" Optimus explained, his head spinning by the words running circles in his processor.

Caitlin and Cheetor glared at each other, then:

"I DID NOT get convinced!" Caitlin snapped at the cat.

"YOU WANTED to fry the Preds!" Cheetor retorted.

"Sure, _who doesn't_? But—"  
"ENOUGH!" Optimus yelled, holding his head. He pointed down the hallway. "Just… _go_!"

The two shared a glance. Optimus turned to consult the computer and the two sent each other a triumphant smirk.

They hi-fived each other as they headed to Cheetor's room, leaving the rat and the raptor to narrow their optics on the troublesome pair.

* * *

Caitlin chuckled into the darkness of the night. But then, she gripped her head again. The pain still lingered. With a sigh, she closed her eyes and settled down to sleep. She was so exhausted that she was asleep before Cheetor could ask her anything. He closed his mouth, noticing she was fast asleep. She'd saved his life. He smiled, remembering what she'd said before Terrorsaur could strike the killing blow to him. He remembered how awed he'd been by what she'd been doing: that he hadn't noticed the red-clad Pred sneaking up on him.

"Night, big sis," he whispered and curled up to go to sleep.


	12. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11: "Gorilla Warfare"**_

It was a few weeks later, after the incident with Terrorsaur, Waspinator and Vincent that Caitlin accompanied Optimus on his search.

He was finding plant specimens to learn more about the planet they'd crash-landed on. The only reason for which they were here was because they'd been the only ones who'd been able to lock onto Megatron's signature. She found his curiosity of the planet that would become Earth: refreshing and amusing. He was a peaceful soul. He enjoyed the environment; the open plains and the jungles surrounding them, the jungle around them, the mountainous range; the skies that forever stayed the same; and all the plant life and animals that lived around as well. At times, Caitlin thought the mech-ape was more human than human themselves.

It was quite ironic, really. A robot more humanised and empathetic and more humane than a human. It was funny in its own way, at least for her.

They were near a rocky riverbed alongside a stream. They were a nice distance from the base. The sun was warm against her skin. She'd forgone her jacket and was dressed in a brown singlet shirt she'd stitched some metal on. It wasn't the best armour available, but it would have to do. It was better than nothing, at least. She ran her hands down her front, flicking off a bit of dust and looked up. A bit from the up from the stream was a plant that, for all intents and purposes: she pinned it as a weed on closer inspection. It was beneath a large boulder, trapping it from easy access. Maybe she'd sit down for a bit…

Optimus approached the plant. "Ah! Here's a new specimen!" Caitlin shook her head and turned to the stream. She kicked off her shoes and stepped into the refreshing, cool water. "Dinobot! Come on!" the mech-ape called behind her. Then, an irritable raptor was moving as slow as he could. He wasn't liking this mission at all, despite that: "You're supposed to be assisting!"

Caitlin chuckled to herself as from behind a solid rock formation… appeared Dinobot. He was slouched over, his nose hovering above the ground. He looked practically pitiful. "Oh, of cooourse!" he growled, voice his dislike rather than showing it (much). "Pardon my lack of enthusiasm for a bunch of worthless weeds!"

"Wouldn't be saying that if he knew some of them can be poisonous," she commented lightly to herself as she stepped out of the water. It was almost magical how damned well Dinobot was at destroying good moods. He should be given a medal, she so often thought. She grinned as that thought ran through her mind… Along with the accompanying stage and screaming audience. No, no, no! He'd be far too smug! So, scratch that thought… but then again, with the right fans: it _could_ be amusing to watch if he got uncomfortable for any reason…

"You do realise that we are targets out here? TARGETS!" the raptor continued (thankfully unaware of her thoughts). "And still… you stop to smell the roses! But-_oh whatever_!"

Caitlin stifled a snort at his rant and put on her shoes. Dinobot… gave… up… Oh dear, Oh dear. The end was near.

Optimus sighed to himself, subtlety rolling his eyes. "Dinobot… I signed onto this mission as an explorer. Just because we bumped into Predacons… is no reason to stop learning new things!"

"Well, if we encounter any of Megatron's forces… You make learn that it is, _unwise_, to dally with plants! We should be devising battle strategies!"

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "BOOOORING!" she sang. She started whistling, bending down to dodge the rock that was promptly thrown in her direction by an irate raptor.

"Knowledge of the territory can be an advantage in battle, Dinobot." Optimus patted the plant and looked at the raptor. "You're a soldier, you should know that!"

"I somehow doubt this plant will be a turning point. But, very well! If have it you must, stand aside! I'll _blast_ it out! Dinobot MAXIMI—"

Caitlin laughed outright as Optimus closed his first over Dinobot's mouth, effectively halting the words that would transform him.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Slowly Optimus he let go of the raptor's snout. He found a smaller rock keeping the bounder upright. Caitlin sighed and picked up her shoes. She shifted to the side, already picturing where that rock would move to. She had uplifted many a stone to cause destruction in her time. As heartless as it might sound, she did not think much of the plants there… when she was in a bad mood. Optimus groaned twice with effort, but he managed to remove the rock with his foot, pushing the boulder towards the stream; right where she'd been. Caitlin stared forlornly at that spot, sighed and slipped on her socks and shoes. She approached the mechs as Optimus leant down to inspect the plant for any damages. Then, he looked at the raptor. "You see… It _is_ possible to look for non-violent solutions first."

"Perhaps," Dinobot acceded. "But I think you've lost your battle edge Optimus. In our fight against Megatron; there is nothing you can learn from this worthless weed!" He growled and spat at it and turned his back on it. He walked off as Caitlin snickered. A raptor; a Predacon Warrior insulting a plant was quite… _amusing_. Then, she spied the plant rear its _head_ back; and it flung a seed pod straight at the unsuspecting raptor. It got him smack-bang in the one place he couldn't reach: at the base of his head. Caitlin and Optimus shared a glance as Dinobot panicked. He roared as he flung from side to side, trying to get it off. "Get this thing off me! I can't reach it! GEEET IIIIT OOOOOOFF!"

Caitlin was no help at all. Optimus whacked her over the head lightly and she fell to her knees. She didn't stop there: she rolled onto her back and laughed uncontrollably.

"Hold on! Hold on!" Optimus yelled. Dinobot calmed down enough to stay still, though he kept twitching. The ape reached behind and plucked the pod, and chuckled. "Got you right in the one place you can't reach, didn't it?" The seed pod moved, he blinked and it dropped it. It snapped upon the fall and opened to reveal a baby plant. "You see? That's how it spreads it seed. We've learned something…"

Caitlin calmed down enough to end her laughing fit and stand to her feet. Albeit _barely_.

"Yee-eess!" Dinobot drawled sarcastically. He bowed mockingly with a flourish of his hand. "From now on—I _shoot_ my dinner salad _before_ I eat it!"

Oh, she just had too…! "I can't imagine you eating a salad… I prefer a toss salad myself," and cracked up again.

"Hmm… We'll need to find another specimen," Optimus smiled to distract Dinobot from attacking Caitlin, sending her an amused glance. He turned around take a look, but as soon as he did: he gasped when his optics caught sight of Scorponok.

"How about… an arachnid?" the scorpion asked, appearing over a small waterfall.

Caitlin froze, seeing the missiles. Dinobot grabbed her waist and dragged her with him as he flung them to the side. "I could've moved myself. Besides, it would've missed me anyways!"

He simply growled at her. "You need… more training."

"Optimus MAXIMISE!"

The raptor shoved her behind him and yelled: "Dinobot MAXIMISE!"

Caitlin spun on her heel and formed a boulder to hide behind. She hated being cornered. It seemed today was just that. A damned bloody corner! She sent a few fireballs the scorpions' way as the mechs fired. Suddenly, one of the scorpion's missiles hit a weak spot under the bounders above Dinobot. "DINOBOT!" the ape warned, but before Caitlin could do anything to stop it; Scorponok sent a missile at her. It blasted a bit above her heard, sending her flying back into a wall of rocks… and her world went dark.

Dinobot growled against the immense pressure on top of him, unable to move. Optimus approached him, intending to help. "Dinobot!"

"I have a special Cyberbee just for you Optimus Primal… ENJOY!" Scorponok yelled—and out of his clompers came a strange, robotic bee. It flew into Optimus' chest-plate; causing him to fly back into the wall. He managed to fire a shot at the Predacon, however: the hit flinging him backwards into the water onto a large branch. That took him for a nice, long dip, down a waterfall.

With a final groaning push, Dinobot finally managed to free himself. But, what he was greeted with was a sight that was a cause for worry. Pinned on the ape's chest was one of Scorponok's Cyber-Bees. And some feet away, Caitlin was on the ground unconscious. The raptor looked between the two and then glared at the sky for handing him this mess. He helped Optimus to his feet and slung the girl over his back and headed back for the Axalon.

* * *

Caitlin awoke before they entered the base—with a killer headache and a queasy feeling at the base of her stomach. She peered up against the sunlight, up at the raptor who held her slung over one arm like a used towel. She groaned as she swayed with his long strides. "You can put me down now…" The raptor gently (surprisingly) lowered her to the ground. Once she was lowered, she was instantly fussed over her by Cheetor once they were in the ship. "I'm fine," she assured, but slammed her head down onto the bench as the world lurched a little more to the right that it was supposed to. "… What happened to Optimus?"

"He's got something on him," Rhinox replied, placing his large form onto his chair, his gaze fixed on the computer screen.

She sent the rhino a blank stare. She propped her head up and tried focusing on one of the rhino's. "Gee, that's nice… What does a robotic monkey suddenly get on him that requires so much fuss and concern?" Receiving no answer, she lowered her head back down to the bench. "Geez! You robots are the weirdest thing since I found out my _very manly_ friend, who is a male, turned out to be actually born a female!"

Rattrap blinked over at her. He put his hand over her forehead, frowning. "Exactly how hard did you hit your head?"

She blinked beneath his hand then knocked the appendage away in a huff. "Exactly how hard is the backlash of a missile at you feet a metre away from a rock wall?"

"You were supposed to be their backup!" Cheetor growled out, finally exploding and glaring at the raptor.

Dinobot did not look like a reprimanded child. In fact he looked more like the rebellious teenager who knew he was in the right, and not fazed at the least by the trouble he was causing. He gave the cat an icy, heated glare. "We were ambushed! And _don't_ tell me _my duty_, furball! Or you shall soon be occupying several recycle bins!"

The cat, didn't heed the warning. He growled in reply, demanding: "Wanna try it now, lizard-lips?!"

Seeing how badly this could go, Rattrap shook his hands to gain their attention. "HEY! Hey-hey-hey hey here! As much as I'd _love_ to see the both of ya's scrap yourselves…" he drawled, sounding as if he dearly wished it would happen. "Eh… save it for my birthday. But, right now: we've got bigger concerns."

Caitlin stared at the scene as if she wasn't sure what she was seeing. She even tilted her head, trying to examine it from every angle she could. "The rat as the voice of reason… I think the apocalypse is coming. Or…" She paused and frowned, looking a little lost as she touched her head experimentally. "Maybe I _really_ did hit my head harder than I thought."

Rattrap chose to ignore her and turned to Rhinox. "Rhinox, what's the sitch?"

"Looks like a viral mime," came the reply. Caitlin frowned harder. That… didn't sound good. Not even a little. "It's fused with his net core. He can't transform while the thing's attached."

Cheetor approached the rhino, "Well, then… Let's get it off! He took enough Energon damage just getting back here."

Rhinox shook his head. "Can't be done. The mine's re-routed all his life support functions to itself. We yank it… He lives for less than a minute."

"YEE-OUCH!" Caitlin winced.  
"Woah! That's bad!" Cheetor gaped, stunned.

Rhinox wasn't one to keep all the facts hidden however. "Gets worse. Right after that, the mime explodes. Taking out everyone within sprinting distance."

Cheetor threw his hands up in the air. "Man, I don't get it. _WHY_?! For _what_?!"

Caitlin took out her hair band, her thoughts withdrawn within herself. _'That scorpion is one seriously messed up arachnid… but, perhaps not so much as Tarantulas is. But still…'_ She brushed out the notes with her fingers, hardly noticing when she found them. She rubbed at her skull, winching when she found the nice lump where she'd banged her head. That, she sighed, was going to be there for a while.

Dinobot mulled this information over, then hummed thoughtfully before raising his head. "A viral… mime you say? I know of Scorponok's creations…. This one is intended to turn our leader into a _coward_! One who will lead us to defeat! Only Scorponok will have the anti-virus!"

She rolled her eyes_. 'Gee… any blonde would've know that!'_ she thought snappishly, but groaned again as her head thumped. _'I've gotta stop getting injured. I won't die from missile fire or decapitation… I'll die from over-excessive headaches… What an embarrassing way to go!'_

"There's gotta be a way to put the skids on it…" Rhinox began, but was interrupted by a sudden: BANG!

Caitlin, herself, jumped about as high as the ceiling. She turned to look at the CR Chamber. It was punched open, revealing a very angry… hostile Optimus. "Alright… who wants some?" Seeing that hostile glare the usually smiling ape had, she froze beneath it. As the others slowly approached him as if he was a wild animal, Caitlin was leapt to her feet and retreated just as slowly. "Nobody takes it off…, understand?" Optimus yelled, his head twitching and some sparks flew out. Dinobot moved behind the angry ape, trying to manoeuvre himself to grapple him. "You hear me? I'll blow you're slagging heads off!"

Dinobot growled, crouching down to get ready to restrain the ape and Cheetor yelled: "No Big-bot!"

Rhinox raced forward, grabbing the ape by his arms. "Hold on there!" he yelled as Optimus struggled against him.

"GET OFFA ME!"

"Yes! Listen to him!" Dinobot advised, his eyes thoughtful as he looked at the not-so-cowardly change to the ape.

Caitlin pressed herself as hard as she could against the wall, memories raging through her before she shook them away. Optimus still struggled to get out of Rhinox's grip. "I don't fear you…. I don't fear any of you!" the ape growled… like a berserker Dinobot in battle, which didn't really suit the peaceful ape.

"I thought that thing was supposed to turn him into a _coward_!" Rhinox grunted out against Optimus' attempts to get loose.

"I'm trying to figure out whether I should be relieved or concerned that he hasn't…" Caitlin said dryly from her spot against the wall. Her eyes remained fixed on Optimus.

Dinobot snorted and approached the ape. "No doubt that _was_ its intention, but Scorponok is notoriously incompetent—"  
"—There's a _BIG_ surprise! I think I'll fall down and die, from that surprise!" Caitlin scoffed sarcastically, interrupting.  
"Regardless," Dinobot said as he eyed her amusedly and then leant closer to inspect Optimus. "I would say instead that we have a… _berserker_… interesting."

Caitlin blinked. "…Wouldn't call it that myself, but… okay then."

Cheetor turned to face Optimus. "Optimus can beat it! Come on, Big-bot, fight against it! You can do it! Please…"

Optimus shook, panting as he struggled to regain control over himself. "It's too much… I can't-can't fight it! Disarm my weapons… lock me up!"

Cheetor gasped then shook his head sadly. Caitlin stepped forward slowly as everyone remained rooted to the spot. "I can help with the moving him."

Rhinox turned to her, his eyes and tone demanding. "How?"

She smirked in reply and raised her hand. She made a clenching movement, walked forward—and Optimus was somehow ripped out of the rhino's grasp; hanging in the air. Rhinox stared at her in amazement. She almost dared to make the ape do the chicken, but decided now was not the time. "I can't do this forever, you know. Disarm him and let's go!"

Rhinox was quick to step forward and take away Optimus' weapons. He then took her to a place where they could lock him up so he wouldn't damage himself… or them.

* * *

In the Dark Syde, Vincent was perched in Scorponok's lab like a gargoyle as he meddled with his computers. It had began as a boring day—and had been so ever since his shared defeat alongside the blasted pterodactyl and the annoying wasp. Megatron hadn't been too happy about that, but he'd been rather… lenient, in Vincent's case. Thankfully. Suddenly, he felt the presence of a certain tyrant. _'Humph. Speak or think the Devil's name... and whataya know…'_ He watched, smirking as the idiot was caught off guard and gasped into Megatron's red eye at his side.

"Ah, Scorponok, yes… I have been waiting for your report."

"Yeah, I stuck it to him Megatron, and good!" Scorponok said victoriously.

Vincent snorted to himself, thinking what else Scorponok could get stuck... and good.

Megatron seemed to have the same thoughts… "Hmm, excellent. And… the anti-virus?"

"Just one. Like you said. Right behind ya!"

Megatron chuckled as he found it. "By now Optimus Primal has most assuredly exchanged his courage for a nice cowardly yellow stripe, yes, but he will not want to stay that way, no. So when he leads his misguided mechanoids on a futile raid for this anti-virus... it will be there final battle... in the Beast Wars!"

"Cutting the fun a little short, aren't you?" Vincent asked with a dark chuckle, but disappeared before Megatron could pin point his location.

It seemed that this boring day was about to get rather interesting.

* * *

Caitlin sat on the desk, cross-legged. She nursed her head between her hands, muttering a few choice words that should never be repeated in public. When she was sure she wasn't about to fall over, she looked up. Rattrap, Rhinox and Dinobot were deciding what they should about Optimus. Then Dinobot suggested something. Rhinox, however, wasn't happy with the raptor's plan and needless to say, neither was she… "What do you mean… use it to our advantage?!" Rhinox growled out.

_'Oooh yeah. He's pissed off!_' Caitlin thought.

Dinobot pointed out what he thought was a good strategy. "Optimus is a War machine. I say we point him in the right direction. Give him full emolument and then unleash him upon the Predacons. If we want the anti-virus… that is the only way to get it!"

'_Actually, that makes some sort of weird sense!'_ Caitlin thought and frowned. _'Doesn't mean I'd do it to Optimus! Too many risks!'_

"Ay! Hey-hey-hey-hey!" Rattrap exclaimed. "Yeah, normally I would love to see the Preds get their little scheme tossed right' back at 'em! But you're forgetting just one little thing!"

Dinobot leant forward as if eager to hear what he had to say. "Oooooh…. And that would be?"

"Optimus would get blown to scrap… Big problem!"

"Well," Dinobot smirked a little evilly. "That depends on your view point."

"Aye-aye-aye! Shut up!"

Caitlin decided to risk it. She raised her hand and shook it. "You don't know for sure that Optimus would turn to scrap."

The rat glared at her. "Are you sidin' wit' Chopperface?!"

She cocked her brow and sneered. "And if I am, rodent? At least we'd be doin' somethin' otha than sittin round like-a pack o' squabbling hyena's ova a hunk of rot'n carcass!" Rattrap leant away as she leant forward in anger, a dangerous gleam to her eyes. Then she groaned and grabbed her head again. "Telekinesis hurts!" she whimpered. She settled her head back on the bench. She closed her arms around her head to keep her eyes in darkness. Instantly, she felt a bit of relief.

"Actually… what Dinobot said: that's not a bad idea!" Optimus said… with Cheetor behind him.

Rhinox rounded onto the cat. "Cheetor! What have you done?!"

_'All that effort to get him into that damned cell… gone to waste. I… am going to kill… something!'_ she thought with a glower.

"It's going to be okay!" Cheetor exclaimed (though he sounded more hopeful than sure of himself. "Optimus has got it under his thumb! Tell 'em Big-bot!"

"Rage and anger ain't so easy to keep under control," Caitlin drawled, peering at them beneath her lashes. She sighed and rubbed gingerly at the back of her head.

"I-I think I can do this," Optimus said. "By channeling this new fighting instinct, we can storm their base… and with your help… obtain the anti-virus."

"…When ya put it that way, you make me feel bad 'bout locking you up!" she sighed, then groaned and hissed. "Hate it when people do that!"

"Yeah, piece of basic programming," Cheetor added. ('_More like piece of cake_' Caitlin thought.) "We blast our way into Scorponok's lab for the anti-virus. All we want is to get Big-bot here back to normal."

Caitlin sighed. "You make it sound so easy." She slammed her head down onto table, fretting about any and all complications that might arise from doing something and nothing. She winced and grabbed her head. "…_That_ wasn't such a good idea. Next time I might as well beat myself with a stick."

Ignoring Caitlin's mumbling, Rattrap pointed out a slight complication. "Yeah? And er… what if he goes _ape-slag_ on us?"

"Run?" she offered then ducked Dinobot's fist that was about to whack her over the head. She narrowed her eyes on him, her arms raised over head defensively. With a growl, she lowered it and growled at him. "I've got a nice lump on the back of me head. I don't need another one, thank you!"

"Hm, fine by me," Dinobot said to Rattrap, but his optics narrowed on the back Caitlin's head as she poked it gingerly.

"HEY! They made me what I am today. So, I figure it's time to say thank you! _NOW_! YEAH!" Optimus yelled. He shot upwards with a missile, which of course: triggered the arms which also triggered the berserker in Optimus. "Stupid slagging circuit system! SHUDDAP!" he roared and started shooting.

Caitlin was between Rattrap and Dinobot. She flinched as the missiles were flung their way. She felt the rat tug her away from her impeding death. She landed on his chest-plate with an 'oomph!' She groaned and looked blearily down at his optics and said: "I think I prefer the term: _apeshit_!" before she rolled off him.

"We have to stop him before he hurts himself!" Rhinox yelled as Optimus fired more rounds at the ship.

Both Rattrap and Caitlin stared at Rhinox for a micro-click before replying:  
"_Him_?! Try _us_!"  
"_Him?!_ What about _us_?!"

Ignoring them, Rhinox charged underneath the missiles and crash tackled Optimus to the ground. Cheetor was at his side. "Keep his arm down!"

Rattrap tried to pin a leg with Rhinox advising: "Watch that laser!"

Caitlin and Dinobot were standing back as Optimus roared and flung all three away from him. "You… you don't understand. It's like Dinobot says!" Optimus growled. The others glared at the raptor who gave them an innocent smile and a half-shrug as if to say: '_don't look at me!_' Caitlin helpfully whacked him with a rod that had been conveniently placed by her side. "We gotta hit the Preds the only way they understand! Hard and fast… and right where it hurts!" As if those words were a trigger, Caitlin groaned and grasped her head and feel to her knees. "But if your caution circuits are overriding your courage… than smelt you all! I don't need you… I'll handle this myself!"

And with that… Optimus went down the lift. Battle ready.

"Optimus! Big-bot! No…"

Then Rhinox realised Caitlin had fallen. He leant beside her, "Caitlin?! What's wrong?"

She blinked up at him, shaking. "It's nothing. I just think I hit my head harder than I first thought…"

Rhinox frowned and pulled her up. Gently, he inspected the lump on her head. He muttered a few words she couldn't quite hear, but by the tone of his voice: she dared not ask. "Whatever we do… you're staying here!" Her brows furrowed at the order. She attempted to sit up to argue, but Rhinox was having none of it. "You're staying. And that's final!"

She growled and folded her arms, eyes narrowed. "Fine!" she snarled, stood and limped off to her room. As she grumbled darkly under her breath, she stomped on the metal flooring. It was childish, she knew, but oh, whatever! Then she passed a door where Cheetor was with all his weapons. He seemed to be checking them and readying them for battle. She frowned and walked inside, inspecting his face for a hint of what he was feeling. It was set into a determined mask. Almost nothing, it appeared, was going to stop him from heading off to help Optimus. "You can't go running after him to the Preds base, Cheetor," she sighed as she leant heavily against the doorway as the world tittered a bit on its axis.

"Back off!" Cheetor growled. He sent her a hostile look. "You don't believe in him! I DO! There's still some of the old Optimus left… and I'm going after him to safe him!"

She flinched back as if he'd struck her. She was about to argue, when she felt an arm on her shoulder. She turned to face the raptor as he nodded in greeting then lead her out of the room. Once they were a distance away, he looked down at her from his measurable height. He poked her shoulder, "You were ordered to your bed."

She cocked her brow and folded her arms. "I'd prefer if I knew what you're all going to do. But if Cheetor goes alone; it's more than likely he won't be coming back!"

"I shall try to… talk him out of rushing blindly into battle," he said slowly. He didn't appear sure he knew how to do it either.

She sighed. "That's a first. Be careful, okay?" she asked and disappeared into the direction of her room.

After watching her go, Dinobot turned back to the cat's room. Cheetor was inspecting his weapons further, casting a wildly determined eye over it. "This is not the way Cheetor!" he growled as he prowled in without permission.

"We gotta back him up!"

"It is a doomed mission! There's no strategy, just… blind aggression!"

"Maybe that's all we've been _needing_! A less _brain_ and a little more _guts_!"

"…We must try to think what Optimus… the _old_ Optimus, would do."

Cheetor threw his hands up in the air hopelessly, "And that would be?"

Dinobot growled and turned away, "Negotiate…"

* * *

Caitlin lay on her sleeping bag. She had somehow found an icepack that had somehow remained cold in her backpack. A bloody miracle if anyone asked her. She'd promptly placed it on her head and had remained prone ever since. It was comfortable. She didn't feel as if the world was about to tip over off the face off the planet at any second. However… she remained worried above Optimus. The mech-ape was the father she would've loved to have when she was younger. Even so, she'd been so quick to throw him to the wolves, so to speak.

As a rush of '_oh damn me'_ went through her, she tightened her eyes closed. She clenched her fists, clenching her jaw… as she was left to her thoughts once again.

It was a dangerous way to leave her alone, especially in this mood.

Dark and gloomy memories of her mistake always came up when she was alone and feeling down. And she was feeling down. Like: deep, deep cave down under down.

Now was no different. Faces so young and familiar flashed over her consciousness like a movie on x16 fast-forward. All you got were speeding images that hurt to watch. She felt tears leap unbidden at the corner of her eyes, before she managed to force them back. She punched at the wall, felt some of the pain: but the hand remained numb for the most part. She let loose a long, shaky sigh and rested back against the berth.

"Leave me alone," she whispered to the ceiling and asked her dark memories. "Have I not paid enough for that one mistake that cost me so much?"

She wouldn't put it past the Universe to start cackling and plot her demise…

* * *

At the Predacon base: Terrorsaur turned to Optimus when Vincent brought attention to a message on the computer. "Gotta Maximal-type beam transmission coming in. It's a little garbled by the Energon fields, but…."

"Bring it up! Yess!" Megatron interrupted and Terrorsaur pressed the button to open communications.

"Predacon base, come in!" Cheetor's voice came through.

Vincent glanced at the t-rex from the corner of his eyes to gauge both his reaction and mood. Megatron looked thoughtful as he first pondered this situation. Then, like always: he got down to business (though this time without the monologue). "Hmm, pussycat… yeeess. State your business!"

"Listen up you miss-wired metal-heads! You botched your little attitude adjustment on Optimus!"  
-_-'Hey, that's bound to liven this place up!' _Vincent thought with a smirk.  
"—He's flaming toward ya on the red-eye express… and he's loaded for mainframe combat! So what do you say you fork over that anti-virus before you get vaped?"

Vincent shook his head. Megatron's defence systems wouldn't entertain such a guest for long. Anything not part of the natural wildlife or Predacon origins was blasted within a five mile radius of its defensive systems. There was little to no chance this day would bound to get interesting. And he'd gotten his hopes up… that'd teach him!

Even Megatron agreed with his face. "Any renegade Maximal who blunders into our base will… _not_ survive! Megatron out!"  
Vincent smirked when he saw Megatron turn to Scorponok. Comically like a dog about to pee on a fire hydrant: he raised his hind leg.  
"—Incompetent bug!" was all the scorpion got before he was knocked flying into the wall.

Time to prepare for a full frontal assault… or prepare for clean up.

* * *

After having been cut from transmission, the cat sighed. "Beast mode." Forlornly, he allowed his head and mood to plummet to the ground.

The other three mechs slowly approached him, having noticed the conversation had ended.

Rattrap was the first to make a move. "Eeh… well?"

Cheetor growled in frustration. He felt a need to tear something apart. Preferably a raptor. "It didn't work! All we did was tip them off… and now they're going to be waiting for him!" The cat turned to Dinobot with a look that basically said: '_it's all your fault and I hope you rot in the pits!_' "You and your bright ideas!"

Dinobot decided not to be offended. After all, he was trying to be… Optimus. Something he had never before considered being so… difficult.

"It would appear that only Optimus can truly think like Optimus. For the rest of us… we must now: think on our own."

Dead silence followed the raptor's insight to the problem facing them.

* * *

At the Predacon base; Optimus was propelling through the air. He shot down towards the ship from above. Firing three shots: he broke through the side of the ship with hardly any effort. As the shockwaves blasted through the ship with the hits, Blackarachnia balanced her hit against a desk so she wouldn't fall over. Behind her: Megatron, Scorponok and Terrorsaur approached the screen the she-spider was looking at. Vincent was already beside her. He was leaning on the wall to the left, head bowed. It appeared he was happy enough to simply watch events unfold.

Megatron did not appear to be in a good mood. "Report!"

"Three direct hits. Outer wall has been breached."

Megatron considered this information, then: "Tarantulas! Destroy the intruder!"

Vincent smirked. He'd always reveled in chaos. He loved to live it, feel it, create it and watch it. "It seems things are finally about to get interesting."

Optimus stood up, having made his way inside. Slowly, he prowled through the halls: somehow appearing calm despite the warring impulses of search, destroy and kill (possible maiming included). Behind him, Tarantulas dropped from the ceiling, seeking to surprise his prey. He pulled out his weapon. The sound had caused Optimus to turn around: growling warningly. The spider cackled to himself and fired. However, he was startled out his processor. The ape had done something he hadn't quite expected.

The ape had caught the weapon right out of the air.

Smirking, Optimus shook his finger as if he would a child. Slowly, he marched purposefully towards the arachnid. Bewildered and mildly afraid: Tarantulas fired up with his spider legs. But, that didn't slow down the ape in the least. Finally, Optimus had Tarantulas cornered. He pushed him right against the wall: flaunted Tarantulas hook and then slammed it through his chest-plate: and continued down the halls.

Leaving the spider pinned, struggling to free himself.

Blackarachnia received new information. "He's inside." A beeping informed her of something else. "And the other Maximals are coming."

"Take Terrorsaur and Vincent and defend the perimeter!" Vincent frowned but shrugged. It beat having to watch the events take fold. "Waspinator, stop Optimus now!"

"Ohhh! Waspinator get him!" the wasp buzzed, searching through the halls.

Suddenly—a large presence stomped down the halls. Startled, Waspinator shook and pushed himself against the wall. The sound appeared to coming from everywhere. He looked left and right, but he didn't think behind him because, just before he relaxed: Optimus' large forms smashed through the wall. The ape grasped the wasp from behind, pulling him backwards and throwing him to the side. It was all over with a single shot and…

The ape continued on.

* * *

Dinobot, Cheetor, Rattrap and Rhinox charged at the Predacon base as Blackarachnia, Terrorsaur and Vincent charged out of their base.

It was a standstill. Neither side was going to let up.

Optimus stumbled down the aisle as Cheetor's voice echoed throughout his head. "Cheetor? Cheetor?" he yelled, looking left and right to find him.

"Cheetor! NOW!" Rhinox yelled as he fired at three Predacons.

Vincent formed a large rock platform to stop the bullets from hitting his group.

The she-spider noticed the strain on the human's face, but for once: decided not to comment. She hadn't wanted to get her looks all messed up. That was brawn's work, not the brains.

"Beast mode!" Cheetor yelled, since the Predacons were distracted. He transformed and raced inside, narrowly avoiding missiles.

Inside the ship, Optimus found the anti-virus missing. He groaned, twitching and fell to his knees. Then, he heard heavy footsteps he'd come to recognise over the entirety of the Beast Wars… "Looking for this, perhaps?" Megatron asked as he stepped out of the darkness with the vial of anti-virus. Optimus looked up at him, in too much pain to speak. But, the t-rex wasn't done. It was at times like these he really liked to monologue and hear himself talk. "Guerrilla warfare suits you. The old Optimus would have never made it this far."

"What is it… you want?" Optimus groaned out, still kneeling on the ground.

"You're allegiance…. In exchange for this anti-virus, yeeess."

"And… if I refuse?"

"You cannot refuse, no!" Megatron replied. Watching him approach, the ape couldn't help but muse that the green glow of the vial caused Megatron to be far more intimidating then usual. "Not if you want to survive. Join me or _perish_!" Then it clicked. This was Megatron's ultimatum. His ace in the hole. His final chess piece manoeuvre on their chess board. He didn't know why, but the thought of chess brought back the ape, a memory of the first game he'd played with Caitlin:

_"Check mate."_

_He blinked, started and looked down at the board. Surely not, he had thought. He had protected his King with a fortification. "You sacrificed that castle to gain the advantage by placing it to block my bishop in line for you to take it. I should have paid more attention to the Queen and the other castle where my King was."_

_"You should have," she replied, linking her fingers together. She brought her elbows onto the table and leant her head down upon it. "But you didn't."_

Then, along that train of thought, it did a U-turn straight to earlier that morning. It was when Caitlin, Dinobot and himself had found that plant.

And then he remembered how it had reproduced…

He groaned and pulled at the Cyberbee. "Oh yes! Then why not end this here and now, Megatron?" For some reason, Caitlin's voice appeared as his voice of reason. It told him how stupid he was being by ripping it off. When he told the image of her what he was doing, he was slightly worried by the approving, maniac grin as she made a flourishing bow. It was almost as if she was giving him the permission act like a reckless idiot…

"You fool! You'll destroy us all!" Megatron yelled and turned to walk away. He didn't want to get caught in the blast, after all.

"Just a little trick I learned from a flower, Megatron!" Optimus yelled and threw the Cyberbee straight in the one place he couldn't reach. It caused him to drop the anti-virus as he now had other matters to attend to. Optimus felt his spark skip a beat as it fell as the t-rex ran off into the darkness, yelling: "SCORPONOK!"

_"Well done,"_ Caitlin's voice echoed in his subconscious. _"Now, it's Check Mate… for this round."_ She stood before him with a smirk, eyes flashing red in the darkness: then Cheetor appeared. The image of the girl he'd come to know as a daughter, disappeared like smoke as the cat leapt into the air, transforming. He caught the anti-virus before he landed. Feeling relieved, he then realised something. "Spark… fading."

"Hang on, Big-bot! Got the anti-virus right here!" Cheetor yelled and plunged it into the ape's chest. It caused Optimus to heal almost immediately. "Yes! We're online. Let's bail before that thing blows!" he added as he helped Optimus out of here.

Inside some part of the base, Scorponok was minding his own business… when Megatron came storing in. The first thing the scorpion noticed: was a rather familiar attachment on the back of his leader's neck. Leading down, Megatron said five simple words: "GET THIS THING OFF ME… NOW!"

Outside the base; Dinobot, Rhinox and Rattrap were still fighting Vincent, Blackarachnia and Terrorsaur… when Optimus and Cheetor came racing out of the clearing. "Time to fade heroes!" the cat yelled, hardly stopping. Rhinox gave the signal to book and, inside the base: Scorponok and Megatron glanced at each other, then away with a gasp… Oppps!

Pause…

….

…

…KABOOM!

* * *

Caitlin didn't know when she'd fallen asleep, but when she woke up: she found Cheetor sleeping peacefully on the berth. She frowned, slowly swinging her feet over the side. She leant back on one hand as she considered his sleeping form. With a sigh, her tired features pulled into a small fond smile. She stood gingerly to her feet and approached him, ruffling his fur behind his ears. "You may be childish, Kittycat… but you can be the most determined of the lot of us. You'll grow into a determined and passionate mech yet, kid."

With that, she stood and walked away. She cast one glance back before she went in search of Optimus.

On the other side of the ship (and one should note they are perhaps the best lodgings. It even has window!) Optimus switched on his Optics. He turned his head to see Dinobot watching over him. That caused an amused smile to spread over his lips. He decided he should alert the raptor to his state of awake-fullness. Dinobot would be extremely embarrassed (in a hostile way) that he'd been caught out. "Bed side visual, Dinobot?" Optimus didn't think a speeding train could move so fast as the raptor's head that swerved onto him. "Not like you."

"It was… my shift," he explained. Then cleared his throat and scratched uncomfortably at his chin. "Well… it's uh… _good_ to have you back," he admitted and made for a quick retreat.

"Back home?" Optimus asked, needing to know. "Or back to normal?"

Slowly, the former Predacon turned to face his leader. "Both," he admitted with a rare, genuine smile. Optimus smiled and turned to face the window. He was surprised (and touched) when he found a plant Dinobot must have placed there. It appeared that the plant that he, Dinobot and Caitlin had found: transformed from a simply weed to a beautiful fashion statement. He turned back to face Dinobot to thank you: but Dinobot had already crept outside.

Alone again, he allowed himself a small chuckle.

Caitlin bumped into the raptor, rubbing her head. She glared up at the ceiling with a sigh and stepped backwards. "What is it with me and bumping into each mech in the hallways?" she muttered snappishly under her breath. She blinked as if suddenly realising she still had company—and slapped herself on the forehead. Clearing her throat awkwardly, she stepped back. She knew the raptor was smirking at her. She folded her arms and cleared her throat. "How is Optimus?"

The raptor tilted his head. "He has… recovered. Were you going to see him?" She nodded, rubbing the back of her head where she still had the lump. Thankfully, it had gotten smaller. Dinobot growled thoughtfully, nodded and stepped aside to allow her through. He watched until she had disappeared through Optimus' door, then turned to his room to get some shuteye.

Caitlin smiled upon seeing Optimus. She quietly strode to a stool placed beside the ape's bed. "How you feeling?" she asked before she sat down.

Optimus smiled up at her. "Better. You're still injured, aren't you?" he asked with a frown, noticing her wince when she rubbed at the back of her head again.

She nodded in reply. A slight smile appeared on her face and she chuckled. "Just a bruise. It'll fade… It seems being DNA changed has its perks."

The ape lay his head back down, but kept his optics upon the human female. "I'm afraid that I may not be up to a game of chess with you today."

She smiled; a small one. It was strange, the ape thought, that her smallest smile appeared to be her most genuine. "I know."

Looking closer at her, he saw the tiredness around her eyes. Various emotions warred within her hazel orbs as she looked at the flower Dinobot had brought in; until she turned them onto him. Those emotions vanished, hidden beneath: leaving only concern for _him_ in their wake. He smiled and shut off his optics, making himself comfortable. "I think I'll just…" he yawned, but he fell into the robot's version of sleep before he could finish.

Smiling, Caitlin moved the stool to the wall. She propped herself against it, keeping half an eye watching over the ape. It wasn't true what Cheetor had said. She hadn't lost faith in the ape. She'd just been shocked by the suddenness of the change. She had experience with tempers that Optimus had received with his personality-alteration. She'd even come across tempers much like Dinobot's in her earlier years.

She and her sister Marie had shared an alcoholic, emotionally abusive and manipulative father. He'd had more money then he knew what to do with, but didn't have any skills. So he drank. He did what he wanted, when he wanted: and used other's to get what he wanted. Even his own children. Not that she or Marie had known. They'd been impressionable. Marie had always tried to make their father proud. Caitlin, however, had not. She admitted that she was a bona fide Daddy's Girl: but unlike her sister's blind devotion, Caitlin had… questioned. They say curiosity killed the cat. And in many ways, she understood why.

Then, their half-siblings Daniel and Mae had a much more temperamental and abusive father. Except that his particular brand of asshole was more physical. But that didn't mean he wasn't any less manipulative. He was a prideful, arrogant, cocky sonovabitch who cared for no one other than himself. And his reputation. He'd been a Martial Arts constructor and a part-time Butcher. He'd been smart enough not to leave bruises on their mother's body. But, at the first sign of a bruise she'd seen on one of her children: she'd gotten out of that eight-year marriage faster than a strike of lightning in the desert.

Then their youngest half-siblings: Alexander and James' father had been a criminal. He had been convicted and charged with murder. Sentenced for 30 years imprisonment. He'd gotten out on good behaviour and because the cops had needed him to provide evidence on a case. What it was, Caitlin never gave a damn. In fact, she along with the oldest of the family had kept most of Alex's and James' father's history quiet. That didn't mean they had lied to them.

Though, one of the three men were dead…

But… needless to say: Caitlin had learnt to deal with fucked-up assholes and motherfucking bastards all of her life.

Dinobot may be temperamental: he would never fight or hurt someone without a good cause (well, if one must admit: a _Predacon_ cause). His honour wouldn't allow it. However, that temper Optimus had held…. Had been very, very similar to what her father for eight years had been like and it had… brought up some unwanted emotions and memories she had long since buried. But, it seemed: they had not been as well buried as she had thought.

Frowning, she folded her arms… then remembered what Tigatron had told her that one day:

_"You should tell the others. While I think you may feel they will treat you differently… it will turn out alright. You will do more damage if you don't tell them…"  
Even the hardest of tasks given to us, are much easier than they are perceived to be. All it takes is that first step towards it. The rest will come easily. You can trust them…  
You should learn to open up more, Caitlin. It will hurt more when they do disappear, if you don't trust them completely. Because then… you would regret not making more time and memories with them."_

Caitlin sighed, closed her eyes and leant her head back. "Optimus?" she asked, but received no answer. She waited for a few moments before she stood to her feet. Quietly, she approached the sleeping mech. She leant down closer, looking over the robotic face that somehow looked peaceful. Again and again: it amazed her that these robots could be so… human, if that was the right word. "I trust you and I believe in you," she whispered as if it was a secret that no one should ever know. "But, if you get yourself killed because you hate seeing the rest of us getting injured… I will bring you back online just to send you back to the Inferno myself!"

With that, she turned on her heel and went off in search of food. She was suddenly hungry again.

…And she felt much better.


	13. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12: "The Probe"**_

_"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!"_

Caitlin gripped her sleeping with both hands and leant over, gasping and inhaling air as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around, but there was nothing but steel walls of the room she and the cheetah sometimes shared. She sighed, releasing all her worries in one breath. Shaking heavily, she tried to regain her bearings. Hazy images chased the edges of her consciousness. But, they were the kind of ethereal form you were never sure was there. Like smoke on water. Like the shadowy fingers of a tree creeping over your bed. When she was sure she wasn't about to fall over: she stood. She glanced towards the cat; Cheetor was sleeping deeply and peacefully on his berth. She almost envied him. With a fond smile, she rubbed the top of his head.

She grabbed a coat, boots and made her way to the Control Room, barefoot. She checked the schedules whilst putting on her boots. She sighed. She had nothing to do. Shrugging on her coat she leapt down the lift and walked to the side of the Axalon. It was very, very early in the morning. It must have been one hell of a nightmare to pull her out of her deep – dead to the world sleep. However, she couldn't remember anything, thankfully.

Just taunting silhouettes…

She sat down without feeling the cold bite of the frigid wind; and held the crystal in her hand with a frown.

"I wonder what they're doing," she whispered to the pendant as she thought back to her family. It was something she hadn't done for a very long time. "Do they even know I'm gone? Do they even care?" she wondered as she gazed forlornly into the darkness filtering between the silver beads above. "What do you think, Mr. Moon?" she asked the larger of the two silver spheres. "Do you think my siblings miss me? Do you think my mother cares that I've gone?"

Silence was her answer. Though, it wasn't like she was expecting anything less. She sighed and turned away from the stars, hugging her knees to her chest.

Rattrap awoke earlier than he'd planned. Annoyed, he groaned. The sound of his clock falling into a pile of mess he could've sworn he'd already cleaned up; jostled him from his hazy state for a few minutes. He shut off his optics a nanoclick later and tried falling back asleep. However: he was unable to. Groaning again, he decided he might as well get up. Throwing himself out of bed, he stretched and took his sweet time getting to the Control Room. Then he found a computer (that Caitlin usually sat at) was still on. Getting closer, it showed the schedule for the day. He pressed a button. "Sentinel…, where is Caitlin?" he asked the computer.

"Caitlin is located within perimeters beside the ship," Sentinel replied.

"Could've said she was outside," Rattrap yawned, shutting off the console and made his way to the lift. Touching the ground, he sniffed the air to locate where the human female had gone. Shifting around, he found her starting up at the moon(s). She appeared to be asking it a question as if it had the answer. She sighed then hugged her knees to her chest. He smirked to himself and scurried over as silently as possible.

It was time for a little payback for when she humiliated him in front of the slagging raptor.

Caitlin stared at the sky and exhaled a stream of air. It formed into a light mist—travelling above her before dissipating without a trace. She was left alone with nothing but the stars for company. And well: propped against an immoveable spaceship colder than ice in the dark. She didn't feel the cold. Perhaps a kind of homesickness had gripped. She never thought she would have succumbed to such a… weakness. And that's all it was. A weakness. A needless, heedless, unwanted feeling she'd rather throw in a vat of oil and purge onto the skin of the enemies with the faces she would have loved. Instead, she hated them. But, that wasn't what she wanted to dwell on. Now, if only she could tell her thoughts to shove it. "I'm bored stiffer than a turtle in winter," she complained to distract her thoughts from the intense silence. She huddled her knees as close as she could against her chest. It was times like these that made her feel so small and insignificant in the ways of the world.

And just a little lonely.

"Never heard that before," Rattrap stated—appearing like a wraith.

The unexpectedness of the sound had caused Caitlin to leap almost ten feet into the air. She whipped around, head thudding and glared at the wretched rodent. She hissed and pointed at him angrily. "_Don't_ scare me like that! Jeez…. Are you _trying_ to kill me? No wait… don't answer that. You obviously were…"

Rattrap smirked at her tirade and came to a stop beside her. Since they were outside, he couldn't retain his robot form for long outside the wall of the Axalon. So, he remained in his beast mode rat form. It was shorter than Caitlin, but still much-much larger than any normal rat. He curled up beside her, his head by her thigh as he shivered slightly in the chill of the air. Had she never liked rats to begin with, Caitlin might have been feeling the '_ickies_!' Glancing sideways at her, he shivered again. "How can you handle this cold?"

She stared, blinked: then turned her eyes back to the sky. "I actually didn't notice the cold until I sat down against the Axalon. The cold is easily ignored. Besides, I'm used to it."

He frowned. "How can someone get used to the cold?"

She chuckled humorously but did not answer the question. She stood to her feet and gave him a side glance. "It seems you have as much fondness for the cold as Dinobot does. So, shall we walk? You seem to be in a sociable mood. And I need to stretch my legs a little. We can talk and walk and the same time. Two birds… one stone."

Rattrap smirked, nodded and jumped up to follow her. They crossed the small bridge that gave access to the plains; the moonlight showing more of the savannah then it would normally. A cold breeze swept over and around them, but this time Rattrap did not feel it as much. He looked around, "Where we headin?"

She shrugged and gazed over the landscape; eying it critically for any signs of movement that suggested any sort of Predacon activity. Or simple hunters. She had heard that lions were more active at night. Not a thought that boded well. Or made her feel exactly comfortable. "I didn't plan that far ahead," she replied, remembering his question.

He stared at her, curious. "Do you plan _anything_?"

She cocked her brow and turned away. She'd saw a herd of horses galloping freely under the rising sunlight. Dawn already? My, my, time sure went fast when you weren't bored. "Nope. I'm a go-with-the-flow sort of person. New situations are dealt with as they come. The future is irrelevant. Why plan for it? Things change. Besides, I live in the present. Not the future. That's for people who have more… ambitious goals in life. I simply plan to live my days as they come." Stopping, she shielded her eyes from the intensity of the rising sun. Golly! She'd been spending too much time inside recently, it seemed.

While she watched the sunrise, the rat thought over what she had said. "You gotta point there girly…. But, you hafta plan things as well, sometimes."

She snorted and folded her arms, giving him an unfathomable glance. "Yes… but that would be the _logical_ thing to do."

His eyes narrowed, but Caitlin had turned back to the Axalon. "Where ya going?" he exclaimed, scurrying after her.

"Back to the ship," she replied bluntly with a silent '_duh'_ behind it. She cast him a cocked brow over her shoulder, which Rattrap bristled at. Smoothly transforming, he grabbed her by the elbow and glared at her. She replied with a simple cock of her hip and a jut of her chin. At that challenging look, he paused. He opened his mouth to say something, but was startled when she suddenly stepped so very-very close in his personal space. He could feel the ghost of her chest upon his. She leant towards his face until they were optic-to-eyes and nose-to-nose. Later, he would realise she'd levitated herself to do that. But then, she spoke: "Would you kindly release me, Rattrap?" Her tone was considerably softer. Like smooth chocolate filled with something he wanted to find out. It did something to his Spark he'd rather not name, even as she added with a pleasant smile: "Or… shall I remove your offending hand myself?"

Rattrap promptly released her and stepped back. She smirked at him again. Looking at it, the rat had the impression she was closing the walls around her. And tightening them. He narrowed his optics. He was about to speak: but was interrupted by the slagging appearance of a certain slagging saurian reptile. The raptor cocked his reptilian head at the two before him, his eyes narrowed thinly in suspicion. His tail twitched in agitation. "And _what exactly_… is going on here?"

Caitlin cocked her own head. A smirk played on her lips, her eyes gleaming darkly. "What exactly are you enquiring: about what is exactly going on here, exactly?"

The raptor's optics narrowed on the daring human female. He was not impressed. He went to whack her over the head, but she dodged, chuckled, danced away from him and headed back inside the Axalon. When she had disappeared, the rat and raptor shared a glance. A heartbeat later: and they hissed at each other before making their own way back inside.

* * *

The muscle under her right eye twitched. She stared at Optimus with a deadpanned expression as he told her about the mission… and let's not forget the very-_very_ important part where she would be staying with Rhinox… in the _base_. He'd be teaching her Cybertronian while he watched the screens. Well, he'd be _trying_. Caitlin never learnt anything she didn't want to learn. She groaned and sat down, slamming her forehead hard on the table and growled at it. The other mechs stared at her as she muttered words too hard for everyone to hear. Then Rattrap snickered, but he stopped once Caitlin lifted her head. Very slowly. She sent him a glare that had the rat gulping and scurrying back a few steps.

…And here he was thinking Dinobutt's glare could be fearsome. Not that he'd ever admit it, of course. Not even under pain of death… or torture.

Baring her teeth predatorily: she growled again. It was a surely inhuman sound. One that Rattrap likened to a wild, predatory animal you weren't sure was tame or wild—then she released a large column of invisible air then reared her head back before banging it back on the table. Optimus chuckled at her childish display. She shot him a death glare. This was replied with a simple cock of his eye ridge. She sighed again, muttering: "Stupid robotic ape…. Why do I have to learn Cybertronian anyway?"

Optimus sighed with feeling and rubbed agitatedly between his eyes. "Because then you can do things on your own around here. I realise you know how to read a schedule… but other than playing games with Rattrap… Who's supposed to be doing his job!—"  
"—His job is Spy, Infiltrator and Thief," Caitlin interrupted, rolling her eyes.

Rattrap blinked, exclaiming "How'd ya know dat?!"

She snorted and pinned the rat with raised brows. "You saying you didn't infiltrate into tha Pred base to steal back that Maximal chip?"

Rattrap opened his mouth to reply, but closed it. She had a point. He frowned at her knowing smirk and huffed as he turned away—and proceeded to ignore her.

Optimus stepped forward with a curious frown. "How did you get that information? Those statistics were written in Cybertronian."

Caitlin pointed at Rhinox, who raised his arms up when Optimus raised his brows at him. "I was bored… _really_ bored… and stumbled upon the files while cleaning. Rhinox fashioned me a translator and… I used it to read them so I wouldn't get bored out of mind. Though… I didn't actually tell him what I'd found," she admitted, giving the Rhinox a grimacing smile. It was the one where you knew you'd done something sneaky, but weren't exactly going to apologise for it.

Optimus decided to waver that, just this once. He folded his arms. "How long ago?"

She cocked her brow, folding her arms. "Ya expecting me to remember that far back?"

"But you remember the statistics," he pointed out.

She shrugged. "I remember what I've read more than five times… and whatever sticks." And that… was that.

Cheetor jumped into the conversation, eyes beaming with a smile that could light up its own country. "What did you read about me?"

She winced against that brightness and then smirked. With a serious tone and sombre expression, she said: "That you were always a cute furball that was more trouble than he's worth as he cheerleads the Maximals on their voyage…"

Cheetor smiled, nodding his head—then frowned when his processor realised she'd jabbed at his pride with a poking stick. "HEY! Take that back! I'm _not_ a cheerleader!"

"Do you even know what a cheerleader is?" she retorted with a smile. Cheetor opened his mouth, paused then, shook his head. "A cheerleader is someone who cheers the team on when their down, to keep their spirits up," she told him with a small smile, and Cheetor smiled at the compliment.

Rattrap smirked and quipped, wagging his finger, "You forgot to mention that cheerleaders are girls."

Cheetor instantly dropped. Caitlin turned her neck to the rat with a raised brown and an '_Uhuh'_ expression. "They can be boys of _your_ calibre, Rattrap." She smirked as Rattrap spluttered, his face flustered as he tried to find the appropriate comeback—but she was quicker. "But… I don't think they'd appreciate having a rat on their team. Much to your woe, I'm certain." That got a reaction. Rattrap started exclaiming angrily and spluttered in his own language. Caitlin figured he was calling her nasty, nasty names. Though, it didn't mean nothing if you didn't understand a word of what was being said. So, she shrugged and turned to Optimus. "Mission, you have?" she asked in supreme Yoda style.

_'Pissed me off, you have,' _was probably Rattrap's feelings right now.

"Yes," Optimus, optics flickering confusedly at the abrupt subject change. "You will aid Rhinox. We'll be back as soon as we're able."

"Can't expect anything more than that," she replied wryly. Then she turned and hugged the cat, giving him a sombre glare. "You be careful. Ok… Feral?"

"What? _I _don't get a hug?" Optimus chuckled, opening his arms up.

Caitlin stared at him for a moment, shrugged: and gave the ape a hug around his midsection. Optimus patted her on the back and she finally stepped back; a light blush on her cheeks. Then, feeling someone staring at her, she turned slowly and cocked a brow at Dinobot's expression: then growled at him. "_What_?!"

Dinobot snorted and headed for the lift. She heard him mutter: "Emotional wench."

"Irritable raptor!" she hissed at his back. She sighed and turned to Rattrap. He stared at her with a cocked brow. Rolling her eyes, she grabbed him by the elbow. She gave him a half-hug—then pushed him into the lift and waved at the four until they disappeared. Then, and only then, did she turn to face Rhinox. "So… what we doing in their absence?"

"What Optimus said," the rhino replied with a surprisingly evil little grin…

With a forlorn sigh, she fell into the seat next to him and folded her arms. Later she would absolutely refuse she pouted. Rhinox opened a metal-bound-like book she hadn't noticed as he ignored her little tantrum. He opened it, which revealed to the mech's version of an alphabet imprinted on the sheet of metal. Staring at the strange, yet familiar markings (what do you expect, she'd been around them for yonks!), she blinked. She felt sort of like she was sitting in a classroom where you were expected to learn Hieroglyphics in just a week. "I think English is less complicated. Of course, I'm biased to that. I've only known that language since before birth."

Rhinox perked up at what she said, intrigued and confused how it was even possible. "_Before_ birth?"

She smirked. "Doctors say that before the birth; between certain months later on in the pregnancy: the child in the womb can hear sounds outside; and pick them up."

Rhinox shook his head. "Human's are fascinating creatures."

She ran her fingers along the metallic sheet, marvelling at the heat that hummed there. "I don't know about that. I think you robots are quite interesting. I mean… you're like a walking talking computer with attitude… that can smile and feel emotions. I mean: how more awesome can you get?"

"What's so strange about that?" Rhinox asked.

She frowned, tapping her fingers as she thought of how to explain it. "Where I come from… computers don't feel. They don't laugh at you whenever you make a grammatical error in Word—and correct it for you or even annoy you until you fix it yourself. They're just… Like a rock with a screen that you can tinker with. Hell! Even Sentinel has more emotion in his voice than the computers at home."

Rhinox frowned and glanced at the human female. She was hunched over the sheet containing the language of Cybertron. She used a nail to run along her palm as she mimicked the lines of the alphabet. She bit her lower lip in concentration, her eyes narrowed to focus on the unfamiliar written language. The rhino sighed inaudibly and pulled out a sheet. He jotted down a few key words he thought might benefit her—and gave the translation above. With Caitlin currently occupied and the base emptied, it was quiet. But in the presence of Caitlin: it didn't seem right for her not to talk. Despite the fact she was not someone who sought conversation often. So, he decided to ask what had been on his mind lately. "How are you handling your situation here?"

She shrugged without looking up. She was beginning another symbol, eyebrows drawn in concentration. "As best as I'm able, I suppose. Lucky me… I'm quite adaptable to new situations. When I was younger, we moved 'bout five times. Went to three different Primary Schools, but only one High School…. _Thankfully_," she added more to herself. She glanced up and caught his disbelieving expression. She sighed and shook her hands sarcastically. "Fine, fine. Sometimes I wake up in the dead of the night screaming. But, I've been doing that _before_ I came here. I even started getting migraines before: due to intense stress and anxiety."

That was something interesting, the rhino thought, but perhaps not as strange as it could have been. "Why were you stressed?"

She frowned and started on another symbol. "Things were happening at home. A previous "_father_" of the kids of the family: was being a manipulative bastard. Then another family member. Then people started blaming one another inside the family. It was all piling on top of one another. At the time, I also had to deal with the HSC and keep up with my homework. And I was always expected to do my chores, which I was the only one who _did_. So, yes. Stress…" she explained and abruptly cut off…

Rhinox frowned, but he didn't speak less she stopped talking. Caitlin had shown time and time again, that if she felt like you were prying: she would withdraw. But this time, she was speaking almost freely of her past. It was this reason he kept working on his own assignment, lending her privacy whilst keeping her company. If he saw her smile (though humourlessly), he didn't seem to notice. He felt her stare then shrug and started another symbol. This time, however: she refused to look at him.

"Of course, being me… I didn't seek help from anyone. The psychiatrists my mother and the teacher's enlisted to find out what was wrong with me; told me I was depressed with severe low self-esteem. However, I stand by what I said. My feelings were irrelevant to what was happening to my siblings… and my mother. I shut off my feelings. Arguments grew front, back, left, right and centre on me. _I_ was the one they all vented to. _I_ was their leaning post. And I had to remain strong for them. I suppose my shoulders grew heavy as my world fell apart around me. And they all cried and fumed. Blaming me. Blaming each other. I shut off my feelings and kept all of what I wanted to say closed tight. It would not do, to add fuel to the fire…. So, I guess that's where things started going wrong. Until one day… everything changed. It changed everything in my life… and not, for the better."

Silence fell around them. Tension, thick enough to be cut with a knife, pressed down on Rhinox. With a sudden clamp on his pump, he realised he'd been given a glimpse of Caitlin's mysterious past. In truth, part of him would have rather not heard it. It was nothing too bad, but it wasn't entirely good. As for the '_change'_… he could only wonder. "What happened?" he asked cautiously, yet gently. For some reason, he wanted to know. But, as the silence grew between them: he began to wonder if he really _should_ know. Or if he _really_ wanted to.

She opened her mouth to speak, but shook her head. She gathered up the materials and carried them to her corner. She placed them down then glanced back until she could see him out the corner of her eye. "I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want some Energon?"

Rhinox quickly shook his head. "I'm fine." He watched as she disappeared down the hall, frowning as he gazed blankly at the screen of his computer.

What had happened to Caitlin?

* * *

Hours later: Optimus, Dinobot, Rattrap and Cheetor came back from the mission. They had completed earlier than they had thought and were heading back to the Axalon. Pondering over recent events, Optimus turned to Rattrap. There was a question he'd been pondering in his mind throughout the entire mission. "So… where did you and Caitlin head off to earlier this morning?"

"Outside da ship," the rat replied evasively.

Cheetor had also wondered this. He jumped closer to ask the rat, his eyes curious. "Why'd she run back to the ship?"

"Perhaps it was the rodents breathe," Dinobot suggested, dodging the swipe of the rat's tail. With a sneer, he fell back beside Optimus.

Rattrap scoffed and walked alongside the cat, remaining quiet. After a few moments of silence, Cheetor looked back at the others. "The last one back at base is Predacon chow!" and ran off.

"Che, huh! No way _furball_! I ain't staring at no _hairy cat-butt_!" he scoffed and propelled after the feline.

Optimus and Dinobot shared a glance. The raptor shook his head. The ape, however, smiled. "Optimus Primal, Maximise." He stood upright as he transformed. Quickly he took to flight and flew above the unsuspecting cat (and the knowing rat) as they raced onwards.

Cheetor was pulling forwards, smug and confident in his victory. "You lose again Rattrap! …OW!" he exclaimed, bumping into Optimus only to slide backwards. He hadn't even noticed the ape.

Rattrap came to a stop, stood and shook his head. "Don't cats ever get tired of being stupid?" he asked no one in particular—and winced as Cheetor slammed hard against a boulder.

"That was mega-low Optimus," Cheetor said from the ground. He was still on his back, one foreleg flung over his chest. "I was only racing Rattrap."

"I could have been a Predacon scout," Optimus said sternly—alternating between pointing at himself and the feline. "So when you're outside the base: you pay attention!"

Dinobot finally appeared in a huff. He was unmerciful to the cat. "You think Megatron's wasting his time playing games, fool?" he asked condescendingly. "Dinobot, MAXIMISE!" He swiftly transformed and remained in robot form as they headed closer to the Axalon. This time: Optimus and Dinobot were in front.

"Sentinel, stand down," Optimus ordered and the shields flickered before they dropped.

* * *

Caitlin stared down at the rhino as he kept pushing buttons. She had returned after a few hours of alone time. She was adamant not to talk anymore about her past. The past was where she'd left it. Behind her. She usually preferred to never recall it. She cocked her head, recognizing that expression that appeared on Rhinox's face. It must be something big for him to have that determined and eager look on his face. She looked over his shoulder to see what it was. "You look like you've found something."

Rhinox didn't reply at first, but then he turned around. There was utmost glee dancing in his eyes. "I think I might have!" He glanced at her screen. "The other's are back." Caitlin sighed at the lift screen. It showed the four mechs. The cat looked droopy. Rattrap and Dinobot looked annoyed (no surprise there). And Optimus looked stern. She hurried to her proclaimed corner. She had just sat down when the four appeared in the control room. Rattrap and Cheetor came by one lift; Dinobot and Optimus by the other. "Come on!" Rhinox exclaimed at the screen—and it wasn't his usually calm tone either.

_'Apparently… _very_ big,'_ she thought.  
_'Gee! Did that _just_ occur to you, or are you just that slow?!'_ a sarcastic voice drawled inside her head.  
_'Don't get snippy with me. I'll hog-tie you and stuff you back in that closet! I swear!'_ The image of herself threatened herself.  
_'Try me!_' the second image of herself dared herself.  
_'Am I really arguing with myself over this…? That's it! No more of those mushrooms… Thankfully I only had a little bit. I dread what would have happened if I'd had the entire collection. Next time I head to the kitchen, I'm throwing it out…. Or I could save it for certain occasions. Mmm. Decisions. Decisions.'_

Unaware of Caitlin's inner ramblings, Optimus turned instantly to Rhinox. "What's going on?"

"The long range scanner," Rhinox replied with a lacing urgency in his voice. "It's picking up signals from space. But I can't punch through the Energon interference!"

Dinobot approached Rhinox and leant over his shoulder. "It's probably a Predacon trick… or something _worse_."

Caitlin saw Rattrap gasp and share a glance with Cheetor. She cast a blank look on the raptor who cocked a ridge in reply. Then Rhinox turned in his chair to face Rattrap. "Rattrap! See is you can get me a visual!" he said firmly. By the tone of that voice: there was no doubt that he _really_ meant business.

"Yeah! On it! Rattrap, Maximise!" The rat transformed, fell upon his chair and moved it to the desk. Then he started tinkering with buttons.

"I need more power," Rhinox said.

"Cheetor—"  
"—Maximise!" the cat finished for the ape and marched to his seat as he transformed into his yellow-and-blue humanoid figure.

"Almost there… C'mon baby, c'mon. Give it up to the rat, YES!" Rattrap exclaimed after his mumblings to himself. He did a victory circle, startling Cheetor—and _then_ he noticed what was on the screen. Apparently, it was shocking enough for him to say: "Strip my gears and call me a floor lamp… is that what I think it is?"

"Yep!" Rhinox answered. "A temporal probe. Cybertron's found us!" he exclaimed energetically; a shift from his usual calm tone.

Caitlin froze. The edges of her sight began to dim. If that meant what she thought it meant, then…

"You're pulling our circuits!" Cheetor said in disbelief. "We're… going home?"

Her world crashed. She swayed heavily, but no one noticed as she leant heavily on the control panel. It was practically the only thing keeping her upright as her body grew weaker. Shakily, she tried to lift herself to stand upright, but this proved to be a challenging endeavour. Instead, she just leant her entire weight on it, just hanging there…

"If… we can make contact before it moves away," the rhino added.

"YEEESS!" Cheetor exclaimed, laughing happily as he spun his chair around, unable to contain his excitement.

Optimus leant over Rhinox's shoulder eagerly. "Can you break through the interference?"

"I'm going to give it a Maximal try! Sending signal…. NOW!"

Caitlin clutched the metal beneath her fingers as all the other mechs, but Dinobot, eagerly leant forward. After all, this was a chance to finally go home. The graphic before them showed their position and the probe slowly approaching the line-of-signal. Caitlin couldn't breathe properly, and tried to suck in deeper gulps of air…

"Hailing code not acknowledged," the computer said. "Probe moving beyond communications range."

Complete and utter relief flooded through her as she released whatever air she'd managed to collect and found the energy to lift herself up.

Then, Cheetor spoke in a defeated tone, shoulders drooping: "Talk about major crash!"

She glanced at the cat she thought of as a younger brother, sadly. She knew he really wanted to go home. Anyone would. But, she couldn't stop the feeling of relief that flooded through her at the thought that they weren't. Then she felt guilty because she was happy that they couldn't go home. Shame washed through her. She bit her lip harshly and tasted blood.

"You did your best, Rhinox," Optimus said to try and cheer up the downbeat rhino. "No one could have done more."

"Yeah… Fearless Leader is… right…" Rattrap said: and it was obvious that he didn't quite believe in what he was saying.

"No, he's not. I blew it," Rhinox said sadly. But then his optics lit up optimistically. "But, we still might have a chance!"

"What do you mean?" Optimus asked, confused and hopeful.

Caitlin's right eye twitched in response.

"You know how probes work!" Rhinox said. "They home in on the transwarp signature of the missing ship!"

"But our transwarp engine's been offline since the crash!" Rattrap pointed out.

"That's why the probe moved on," Rhinox countered. "But it will be back before it leaves this system."

"So, if we can duplicate our transwarp signature before it returns… and send it to the probe…" Optimus began, enthused.

"We'll be on our way home!" Rhinox finished haply.

"HOME?!" Cheetor exclaimed hovering very close to his need to jump up and start dancing

"OH YEAH—ALRIGHT!" Rattrap yelled victoriously.

Behind the two, Dinobot's eyes narrowed. He turned to see how Caitlin was handling the news. When his optics caught her hazel gaze, he blinked. He'd never seen such a dark look in her eye. They were blank and vacant. Hopelessness, fear and sadness shadowed the vibrancy of her eyes. As if feeling his gaze, she turned that gaze upon him. Without a word she turned on her heel and swiftly slinked to the lift, disappearing without so much as a sound.

"HEY CAIT…" Cheetor began excitedly, having turned to see Caitlin to rejoice with her… only to find her gone. He frowned and looked around. When his optics landed on Dinobot, he noticed the raptor had his optics focused on the lift. "Do you know where she is?"

Dinobot turned his harsh gaze upon the cat. "She went… outside," was all he said before he too walked away.

The other mech's were left to stare at his back… and to wonder where Caitlin had gone off too.

* * *

It wasn't long until Caitlin was far enough away from the Axalon to finally release her rage and fear. It had crept upon her, the further she'd gotten from the Maximals. It was because of the fact they might possibly be leaving this planet (and her, by default) for good. Deciding she was far enough away, she threw back her head and released her emotions in a tidal wave following a cry that sounded much like a roar. Fire exploded within a ten-mile radius of her position: and then it was all used up. As soon as it was over, she felt weak. She fell to her knees in the smoky and charred crater she had created. She stared down at her hands and towards the destruction she had wrought upon the land. She felt numb and lost. It was when her eyes fell upon a young panther cub, shielded by its mother: did the tears finally fall. She rushed over to the cub and was relieved to find it alive. Gingerly, she picked it up—receiving a few claw marks for her trouble. It yowled and hissed at her as she gathered it to her chest, holding it firmly against her.

The little cub was warm and soft, but despite that; it fiercely fought against her grip. "I'm sorry, little one," she whispered. She turned her gaze to the sky as dusk fell over the land. The golden glow cast long shadows over her. It made everything seem… surreal and dangerous. She turned back to emerald green eyes that stared at, both with suspicion and curiosity. "Quiet down. I'm not going to hurt you… more than I already have," she assured the creature. It hissed at her and she sighed. She rummaged through her pockets and found her IPod. "Maybe some music and singing will do us both some good… what do you think?" she asked the panther. It hissed again. "I'll take that as a yes," she muttered as she pressed play, "Mind you, I'm no Christina Aguilera or Delta Goodrem, but I'm not too bad if I do say so myself. Mind you… that might be 'cos I'm a closest egotistic."

Then, _Bring Me To Life_, by Evanescence came on…

She breathed in, closed her eyes and kept a firm hold on the panther. She patted its head as she began to sing.

_"How can you see into my eyes like open doors?  
Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb  
Without a soul my spirit sleeping somewhere cold  
until you find it there and lead it back home (Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside (Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)  
before I come undone (Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become  
now that I know what I'm without  
you can't just leave me  
breathe into me and make me real  
bring me to life (Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside (Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)  
before I come undone (Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become  
Bring me to life (I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)  
Bring me to life  
frozen inside without your touch  
Without your love, darling  
only you are the life among the dead  
all this time I can't believe I couldn't see  
kept in the dark but you were there in front of me  
I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems  
got to open my eyes to everything  
Without a thought, without a voice, without a soul  
don't let me die here  
there must be something more  
bring me to life (Wake me up)  
Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)  
Wake me up inside (Save me)  
call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up)  
bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)  
before I come undone (Save me)  
save me from the nothing I've become (Bring me to life)  
I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside (Bring me to life)"_

When her eyes opened, the panther had fallen asleep. Apparently, she was good enough to soothe the creature. But no way in hell would she partition herself for Australian Idol. She wasn't _that_ good. She sighed and stood to her feet. Turning hazel orbs to the charred earth, the sky: she made a circling motion with her hand. She was pleased when she was met with growing cloud cover—until rain began to fall across the charred earth. She'd found this trick out once, by accident. She'd been in a bad mood and had gotten away from Optimus' sight once. Making it rain, however: required a certain key factors… an abundance of hot and cold air. The charred earth had created the hot, and it was a cool afternoon to begin with. But, she didn't want to catch a cold; so she quickly hurried back to the Axalon with her small bundle. She'd been the one to unintentionally kill its mother. So it was only fair that she raised it to live a decent life.

She just hoped Optimus would allow her to keep it. That thought sobered up her sudden good mood. Within a few hours; the Maximals would be leaving. So, that boded the question: why would the Vok send her as a soldier, when the battle was so close to finishing? She took a long time get back home. But, she had not been willing to step inside whilst the mech's rejoiced. So, she curled up next to the panther against the side of the ship.

And there, she slept.

* * *

When Caitlin appeared in the Axalon the next morning; she was instantly captured by an arm. She was dragged along the ground without so much as a '_how do ya do?_'; until they came to a site that they apparently would be setting a makeshift send-up-transwarp-signature beam to the probe—the _next time_ it hovered over the planet. If it received no signature—it would leave the system without anyone even knowing they were there. Part of her still wished they didn't make any sort of contact. And another part fiercely slapped her hand at being that selfish. But, she was hungry and she'd been dragged out of the Axalon before she could grab something to eat. So, it was understandable that she glared up at the mech who belonged to the offending arm. She was treated to a growling, irritated raptor who _did not_ appear to be in a good mood at all.

What a surprise….

Well, two can play at the: _'I'm angry at the world, now ya'll can fuck off and die'_, game.

Optimus propped up the last of the foundation poles with a sigh. "That's our foundation. Let's get to work."

"You _do_ realise that we are in Predacon territory?" Dinobot asked as he looked around.

Caitlin clucked her tongue and folded her arms. "I second that. Might as well stick up a neon sign saying: butt rape me here, please!"

"Ye-ahh! You know, _Dino-paw_ and the kid gotta point," Rattrap agreed. Dinobot was understandingly surprised that the rat was agreeing with him-and stared down at the robot. Caitlin however, really hated being called kid. Especially by a rat who was smaller than Cheetor. Her jaw locked in a dangerous set and pulled her lips back in a sneer, but refrained from reacting. The rodent didn't appear to notice her foul mood. "Oooh, if the Preds catch us up here… we'll be _beautiful_ targets."

Optimus seemed to share some of their concerns, but: "This was the nearest clear zone. Building the signal array here is our best shot at contact the probe. And Tigatron will watch our backs."

Caitlin sighed and shifted her stance, shaking her head. "As much faith as I have in that illusive white tiger… he's simply a lone ranger facing a horde of idiots lead by one sly smarty… with two tenacious arachnids who ya don' know whether ta keep an eye on—or just kill for the sake of making sure they don't kill ya first."

Optimus stared at her blankly. Sensing his contradicting thoughts to her wry musings, she shrugged at his gaze. Then she blinked, twitching to stone as she remembered her bundle. The cub moved in her backpack and the ape's gaze focused on it as the cub revealed its face to the robotic ape, raptor and rat. Optimus pointed at the panther cub. "What is that?"

Caitlin sniffed stiffly and grabbed the cub and huddled him protectively against her chest. "A panther. His name is Shadow."

Optimus sighed and rubbed at his face. "Why do you have it?"

Her features shifted into a snarl. But Optimus noticed it was directed at herself as she seemed to straighten higher. "Cos I accidentally killed his mother when I lost control of my fire!" she snapped and turned way. Her back was ramrod straight as she moved away from the foundation and sat heavily down on the ground. She glared up at the other mechs before her and then proceeded to ignore them. Instead, she turned her attention onto the panther cub. Gently, she ran her hand along its head to calm it. Unnoticed by everyone, her crystal necklace glowed and the panther's eyes brightened whilst she dwelt on what she wanted for the cub. Then those eyes returned to their original colour and Shadow nestled into her chest. It was as if he was completely at peace and comfortable in her grasp.

She cocked a brow down at the cat and glanced at the necklace.

She hummed in her throat with a thoughtful expression, watching the cub nap in her arms.

* * *

Somewhere near the other Maximals, Tigatron was breathing in the crisp morning air and exhaling with a sigh. "Ahhh! The air is sweet today," he announced to no one. He looked about the place of his berth with love and protection in his eyes. "I wonder if Cybertron can match such natural beauty…" Suddenly, a familiar scent tickled his nose as he sniffed the air. A growl formed on his lips as he recognized it. "Waspinator… Tigatron MAXIMISE!" and he leapt down to avoid being seen.

Waspinator was buzzing in the air, mumbling to himself about all his problems. After all, he was the only one who'd listen. "No matter what Megatron said," he muttered in an extremely whiny voice. "Waspinator is tired of searching for Maximals!"

The sound of a gun cocking jolted him out of his whining. The wasp rapidly spun on the spot, where Tigatron appeared from behind a large boulder. His gun was aimed at the annoying wasp. "You're search is over, Predacon," he said and fired a single shot. The wasp was sent falling into the distance with a loud thud upon impact with the rocks. "The next time you're looking for Maximals," Tigatron advised to the far-away wasp. "Keep your mind on the job."

"His job… was bait!" the sickening cackling voice of Tarantulas appeared.

Tigatron turned around to face the purple spider with narrowed eyes. "Hmmm, and you're the trap."

"Not a trap, Maximal," Tarantulas replied with an evil gleam in his optics, "A test!"

A warning tingle ran through his currents, which put him into a hostile and defensive frame of mind. "Of what?"

The answer was said with a touch of dementia, "Of my new toy!" And from behind a rock appeared a strange glowing orb with a half-moon top that glowed purple. It shot a beam, but Tigatron dodged and opened fire on the… thing. Tarantulas cackled in the background and then… the thing stopped before the tiger.

Tigatron… _did not like_… the feeling he was getting from this thing…

* * *

Caitlin yawned and the newly-named cub yawned. Since she had not desired to help, and she was too busy with the cub, she was bored as the dish was finally placed up top of the structure. Then—she heard missile fire. Rattrap also appeared to have heard it as well, since he spun to face its direction, his fingers twitching towards his pistol. "Yikes! Missile fire!"

Optimus had only one thought about the explosion. "Optimus to Tigatron!" but he only received static. "Cheetor! Scout and report!"

Cheetor nodded. "I'm gone!" he said as he flipped off the cliff and out of sight, "BEAST MODE!"

"I'll follow him," Dinobot said as he approached Optimus. "He may need… my warrior skills."

Caitlin snorted to herself. They way he said it, made her want to laugh. However, truth to form: his skills were no laughing matter, no sir! But by the Pits, the way he spoke always caused her to feel laughter erupt from her chest. As it was, she was having a hard time not to laugh. She wondered why she was even laughing over it. It wasn't even that funny for crying out loud!

_'This is a sign!' _a thought ran through her head. _'We've finally breached that final layer into insanity!'_  
_'Wachya talkin' 'bout?!'_ another voice drawled. _'We've always bin' insane. We're just dat good at hidin' it.'_  
Another part of her shook her head and stared up at the ceiling of the brain she was locked inside. _'And _this_ is what I have to contend with. Someone shoot me now…'  
'Careful there,' _a smirking part of her nudged_, 'Or you just might get what you wish for!'  
'Oh for the love of what's left of my sanity! All of you shut up!'_

Don't you just love it when the voices in your head agree to shut up for a while?

Optimus shook his head at Dinobot in reply. "No! We need you here. We haven't got much time to finish the array!"

_'Oh, that's right… it's an array. Here I was thinking it was a gravity dependent probe!'_

Dinobot snorted, "Oh, of cooooourse! We wouldn't want to miss our chance to go… _home_!"

"Ay-ay-ay!" Rattrap yelled, getting very defensive of his home planet, "What's biting your senses, Dino-boob? You act like you don't wanna get offa this dirt ball! Afraid you'll miss you're Pred-head friends?" he asked the raptor jeeringly.

Caitlin snorted. _Dirt ball?_ Funny that this place would be called Earth in the future, but really… _Dirt Ball_? That was just toeing the line for her future planet! She glared heatedly at the rat, sorely tempted to show him just how much dirt there could be… maybe a trip to the desert, might suffice—but she quelled that desire in favour of picking up Shadow and approaching the three mechs. When there is one explosion in Predacon territory… more are bound to follow.

"_You're_ what I'm afraid of!" Dinobot yelled, having decided to finally reveal his thoughts on the matter (_a Predacon never shows his feelings, it is a weakness that will not be tolerated, and more often than not: it will be exploited by the other Predacons_). "You're all so eager to get back home. But… _your_ home is not _mine_. I am Predacon despite our alliance. And when you're ship comes to rescue you… my fate will be the same as Megatron's. Perhaps… even worse."

Caitlin frowned at him when his optics caught her eyes. Yes indeed. A traitor to his own kind and enemy of the Maximals. If he ever did survive the Beast Wars… would there be peace for him? Somehow, she doubted it. And that was not a thought she didn't like to ponder. At all. It involved feeling a sort of camaraderie with the former-Predacon… And he was not so receptacle to such sentiments. Or, if he did… he hid them behind his gruff exterior, very well.

The raptor turned away, but froze on the spot when the ape spoke, as if to assure him: "We won't let that happen. You're a Maximal now… and we'll make sure you're treated as one."

"And… what makes you think… that I want to be?" Dinobot retorted as he brushed off the ape's hand and stalked off.

Caitlin stepped beside Optimus as she watched the raptor. She wondered how to put it to the ultimate optimist or if she even had the right to say this. But, she had to say _something_… "And you can't really promise him that, Optimus. I may not know much about your two cultures… but even _I_ can see where Dinobot is coming from.

Optimus turned to her with a frown. Despite everything, he had come to consider the former-Predacon a friend. "What do you mean? I cannot just hand him over to the Predacons! He's been an honourable ally… he can't be treated like a prisoner for all he's done for us!"

Caitlin hummed and tapped her fingers on her arm, having folded them. She pondered how she could explain it. She was not part of their history. After all, she was a human. She had no idea the full extent of the war's between them. But she had seen Rattrap's hatred of all Predacons… even if Dinobot had switched to their side. He still mistrusted the raptor. Optimus valued peace and understanding… perhaps he was the ultimate Maximal. She'd seen enough of the other Predacons to know they could be nasty. But, even a Maximal could be underhanded. One look at the rat, showed that.

"Dinobot is a Warrior, born and raised in Predacon traditions and beliefs. True, his honour is a cause of envy amongst you Maximals, but… he isn't suited for the peace you aspire to. He craves combat for that's where he thrives. And that," she frowned, "wasn't even my point to begin with. Look, Optimus… I know not the toils of war but I know the end result. _That's _what Human History lessons are about. Conflicts resolved in ages past that have made us who we are as a society today. Though, it is usually the winning side that tells the tale…"

Optimus folded his arms with a stern look. "What does this have to do with Dinobot?"

Caitlin glared, "I was getting to that! Dinobot… is a betrayer of the alliance between Maximals and Predacons that has stood for… well, _ages_—when he stole the Golden Disks."

"You know about the Disks?" Optimus sounded alarmed, his optics widening… (It looked almost comical…)

"Yes," she retorted, drawing out the word. "I asked Rhinox why you guys were here in the first place. And he indulged me."

"Rhinox had to clear that with me first!" Optimus exclaimed, slightly annoyed.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and shook her hands dismissively. "But, that is of no importance. Dinobot broke the alliance to fuel a Predacon rebellion against the Maximal order, yes? But when they crash-landed here on this "_barren_" planet… it wasn't what he sought, I believe. Dinobot betrayed Megatron and most probably demanded a duel for leadership, no doubt—knowing him. But this wasn't because he suddenly saw the "_error_" of his ways, in your eyes. No, he fights with you only because he lost his duel for leadership. You saved him. He saved you: his honour demanded it. I don't think he likes to owe anyone… And he knew that he couldn't return back to the Predacons."

"You're point?" Optimus sighed, urging her to get to it.

"Even if Dinobot _were_ to be pardoned for his crimes against yours and the Predacon's government…. Do you _really_ think the Maximals would gratefully accept him with open arms? And… do you _really_ think the Predacons would react positively to a traitor to their kind? No, they would not. You might like to believe that they would, but the world doesn't function like that. Warring cultures can remain at odds with each other for centuries—Hell! Even Eternity and they'd still be at each other's throats. But, Dinobot would become the epitome of the definition of an outsider. To _both_ sides."

Both the ape and the rat stared at her, then at each other. Their optics were wide and shocked. They probably hadn't expected her to be that insightful. Well la-dee-dah! She wasn't sure to be offended or not. Scoffing, she folded her arms and cocked her hip. "Don't look too shocked. I have very little to do around here, ya know," she added with a sneer, tapping her temple. "And my brain isn't just full of fluff!"

There was silence for a moment; then Optimus blinked with a sudden realization. "And what's your opinion on us leaving?"

Caitlin froze for a click, but then she was suddenly moving. "I'mma gonna follow that cat. Since who knows what trouble that cat'll get in!" she exclaimed in a rush.

She was gone before anyone could stop her or speak.

_'Phew! Close one! I almost had a heart-to-heart!'  
'But that would've been fun! We could've even sat around a campfire with marshmallows and…'  
'This talk about marshmallows makes me hungry… and we haven't eaten since yesterday lunch!'  
'Bah, stop talking! Concentrate on what you're doin'!'  
'You mean running off to an unknown distance and pretend we're doing something while we ignore the ape's question?'  
'Yeah, that!'  
'…We need help.'  
'Since when am I, we?'  
'Um… forever?'_

Blink.

Blink.

"I need a new day job…" she sighed out loud.

* * *

Finally, having deciding to do what she'd told Optimus she'd do: she found where Cheetor had run off to. She also found her adopted little brother aiming his gun at Tarantulas. She wondered where Tigatron was…. As soon as that thought crossed her mind, she found him, out cold. He was caught in that silver-blue webbing, courtesy of the purple spider. She knelt down, crouching much like Shadow before she had picked up him: ready to pounce, but she remained watchful.

"One wrong move and you're wreckage!" Cheetor growled. "Step away from Tigatron! _Slowly_!"

Shadow purred, curious to see what was happening. Her muscles twitched and she quickly pushed him into her backpack. She left it open enough for his head to fit through. It wouldn't do to suffocate the poor thing. She kept her eyes on that floating thing behind Tarantulas as he raised his arms and dropped his gun. "As you wish," he bowed and stepped to the side…

To reveal a strange contraption…

_'Another toy?'  
'Hmmm, boys and their toys…'  
'Don't forget that you used to fit that criteria, _Tomboy_!'  
'And what? You'd have preferred to wear those damned-awful dresses?!'  
'Well…'  
'Don't even go there!'_

"What the-?" Cheetor exclaimed—and was hit by the beam. A strange thing happened then… the beam from the contraption, forced him back to Beast Mode. Caitlin felt her jaw drop. She had to pick it up as it was made evident that Cheetor couldn't transform back. Not with a lack of trying, however… "Hey! Cheetor MAXIMISE!"

Why that conniving, cheating little… Oh wait! She was complimenting him. Can't have that. Though, she doubted he'd appreciate being called little…

Tarantulas stood up with a sighing grunt. "Don't cat's ever get tired of being stupid?" he asked, cackling madly as he shot a net of webbing that both shocked and knocked the cat out. The spider looked back and forth between his two victims. "Two down… five to go."

Caitlin twitched. Well, she couldn't leave them there like that. The arachnid would hear her attempts to communicate with Optimus if she tried it. So, she stood to her feet and stepped around the boulder. "And what do you plan to do with them?" she asked, her lips quirking in amusement at the spider's startled reaction.

The spider whipped around. When his optics fell upon the human female, he aimed his gun and she raised her arms. She had to play the damsel, this time. She couldn't endanger the cub either. The spider had the upper hand here. Especially since he had Cheetor and Tigatron captured in those… really annoying spider-web nets. Although, she did have the elements at her disposal…. She could bet her life that Tarantulas wouldn't care about the two cats. Any move she'd make, would be awarded with the death of her brother and friend. So, she had to grit her teeth and follow behind the blasted spider.

All good things come… to those who wait.

_'And bring on the popcorn!'  
'Didn't I throw you in that closest?'  
'There was a hole out the back!'  
'Don't tell me… you found a winter wonderland with a lantern in the middle of a forest…'  
'No… but there were a few smelly socks…'_

Good things come… to those who know how to shut the voices out in their head!

* * *

Caitlin didn't know what to make of the Dark Syde. But if there was one thing noticeably more here than in the Axalon: it was the heat. It was almost unbearable: the stifling and suffocating heat wrapped around the place like a very heavy coat. She shifted uncomfortably, but then was tossed to the side. Grunting, she pushed herself off the floor and patted the dust off her. She glared the tyranno tyrant, watching as Megatron was given some data from Terrorsaur, courtesy of Scorponok. She saw the image of Dinobot and Rattrap helping each other as they built the array. She snorted in amusement. The sight of those two working cooperatively together was always and amusing sight… and the thought of how long it'd lasted before they fell into an argument.

And, knowing them: not that very long.

The she-spider focused on the construction, pondering the possibilities. "Is it a weapon?"

Caitlin cast her eyes upon the black-and-gold humanoid femme, and frowned. She hadn't come within close quarters with the female spider. Now, seeing the curves of the lone female Predacon, she cocked her brow. She couldn't help but think that if her twin sister were here: she'd literally kill the spider for her figure. Blackarachnia had the body of a very fit and curvaceous woman. Some part, buried deep down in the darkness and with her femininity: made her feel very… unfeminine. Not many people could do that. That thought, coupled with what her twin would have said: sent her into a fit of giggles, but somehow: she managed to keep up her blank façade whenever one of the Preds turned to look at her.

Though, it wasn't easy.

Then, a sarcastic voice chimed in: "Maybe it's a freeze-ray!" Vincent looked entirely bored with the whole situation, even yawning without even attempting to mask it.

Tarantulas, however, was a scientist. And this included mechanical devices! "It looks more like a long-ranged signal array!"

"Ye-esss!" Megatron agreed with the he-spider. "But why would Optimus risk building it inside our perimeter?"

"Maybe we should ask the kittens," Blackarachnia suggested, turning meaningfully towards Tigatron and Cheetor, who groaned as they woke up.

"You better not be calling me a kitten, Gold-rack," Caitlin growled under her breath. "If you are, I'm trying my best at dissecting!"  
"An excellent idea!" Megatron said at the same time, masking her words.

_'What's going on here?'_ she thought, feeling insulted. _'They're bloody ignoring me? What am I? Pig fodder?!'  
'Fodder is quite essential to farming, I think…'  
'I didn't ask for your opinion. If I had wanted it, I would've asked for it!'  
'No need to get snappy… just trying to help…'  
'And you're the reason we get into trouble so much!'_'

"Woah!" Cheetor exclaimed as Megatron pointed his purple dinosaur hand-head at Cheetor's cage. "Talk about nightmares…"

"You're nightmare is just beginning, Maximal," Megatron chuckled. "Unless you tell me about this array that Optimus is building…"

"Why don't you ask him yourself, Mega-dumb!" Cheetor retorted defiantly. Ah, kids… gotta love 'em!

The leader of the Predacons, however: wasn't pleased by that response. In fact, he was rather irritated. He slammed against the bars with a harsh resounding thud, "Don't try my patience, feline!" He stared with a threat shining in his merciless optics, until an erratic beeping caught his attention. "What's that?"

It was Tarantulas who replied, sitting in front of a large computer screen. "The space scanner! It's picking up some sort of craft. It will be over the planet in ten cycles."

"The probe!" Cheetor exclaimed, leaning forward—and forgetting where he was.

Caitlin groaned and face-palmed her forehead, peering at him from underneath her lashes, "We're gonna hafta hava little talk, you and me, Cheetor: 'bout you keeping yor mouth shut!"

Cheetor had peaked Megatron's curiosity. "Probe?" And that gleam in his optics spelt trouble. "Prepare for full-scale assault! The array must be destroyed immediately! Tarantulas! Bring the transformation-lock lens! Blackarachnia! Take Caitlin with you. She's too dangerous to be left alone with these idiots!"

Caitlin blinked. "Is that… a _compliment_ I hear from the purple dino?" she quipped dryly. "The bane of my existence… no, I wouldn't go that far." At Megatron's glare, she smiled and quickly stood to her feet. She held a submissive pose, acting like a down-trodden and scared prisoner of war. It took only a moment, but Megatron seemed pleased enough by her performance. She flipped him the bird behind his back.

"Come on, human!" Blackarachnia hissed, gripping Caitlin's arm with her pincers and dragging her along.

Caitlin winked at the two cats, mouthing, 'Meet you there!' before she disappeared.

As soon as they were all gone, Cheetor sighed heavily and shook his head, "Me and my big mouth!"

Tigatron stood upright and turned to the little cat. "They would have attacked the array anyway. But at least they left us unguarded," he added and started swinging his cage back and forth.

Curious, Cheetor watched the big cat with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

"You always say what a swinging cat you are," Tigatron gently teased while explaining. "So, start swinging. And maybe we can free ourselves from these cages."

Cheetor grinned at the plan; and the two of them swung. Though it involved a bit more effort on Cheetor's part, but he _was_ a swinging cat.

* * *

Dinobot threw down a piece of equipment with an air of finality. "There! Done! All it needs now is the transwarp module. Assuming… Rhinox can get it here on time."

Rattrap scoffed, "Aye-don't worry, he will! Heh… not that you give a nanobite."

Walking past the rat, Optimus whacked him over the back of his head. "Rattrap!"

"Mehh! To the Inferno with both of you!" Dinobot growled with a huff, walking off. But, his attempt was thwarted—when he was shot in the back by a certain, annoying scorpion.

The Second-In-Command, ever the obedient one, declared: "Megatron has ordered this tower demolished!" and open fired.

"Interceptors! FIRE!" Optimus yelled, firing his own missiles and stopped Scorponok from hitting the array.

Rattrap stood in a battle stance, aiming down at the scorpion with a smirk. "I don't _think_ so!"

From behind him, Dinobot stood to his feet. "And I really don't think so!" the raptor growled. He fired his laser beams and shot the annoying Pred in the chest—a few metres away.

The rat and the raptor gave each other a thumbs-up. Needless to say, if Caitlin had been there to witness such an event she'd have scrambled like a lunatic trying to find her phone to take a picture of it. And since she wasn't there, SNAP! Whistling loudly to himself, Optimus hid the camera in an extra compartment in his arm. A mischievous grin spread across his usually calm and stern face. He would be giving it to Caitlin as soon as possible. Blinking, he shook his head when he realised what he'd done

Seemed Caitlin was influencing him more than he thought…. One would've thought it'd be the other way around.

* * *

Approaching the array-site, Caitlin didn't bother dragging her feet to slow down the Predacon femme. For one, it hadn't worked when she'd tried stalling the she-spider from jumping over the lava pits. So instead, she kept up with her. That she was pleased to learn; annoyed the she-spider even more. She cocked a brow and frowned thoughtfully. She wondered what Blackarachnia would've turned out like, if the Maximals had gotten to her in time—without the Preds having used the Maximal Decoder to track their every movement. That thought was too broad, however. There were too many what-if's floating in and around it. So, she didn't feel like getting a headache for her troubles from thinking too much on it. She sighed inaudibly. It would have been nice though, to have another female (femme) on the team. Being the only female of six males (mech's) was kind of tiring. Even if she did prefer male company to females, at the best of times… there were just some things Caitlin couldn't talk about with males.

Hissing, Blackarachnia whipped about and glared at her. "What's your malfunction?"

_'Maybe I should have tried for a bit of whining and complaining?' she_ thought wryly.  
_'Nah… this is far more amusing.'  
'For once, I agree with you…'_

Blinking at the hostile femme, she wondered why her silence had caused such a reaction. She cocked her head in curiosity, acting dumb and vague. "Are you talking figuratively, literally or rhetorically?" she asked and thought about it; and then added: "Do you want your answer chronologically or alphabetically?"

Blackarachnia rolled her eyes. "Be silent, Maximal!"

Caitlin snorted. "You _did_ ask me a question, Pred-aaaaa-con… I was just wondering what you meant by "_my malfunction_?" There's _a lot_ to be malfunctioning about, ya know. You _may_ want your answer in a list, _or_ you might just want a general overview… I have a lo-_ong_ list." She grinned like a devil and leant forward a bit, tucking her hands behind her back, "You should think about these things before asking a question. _Or_ you'll lose your patience and get annoyed _very_ easily… and it'll be _your_ _own_ fault."

The she-spider groaned and ran her pincers across her face. "I don't know whether you're an idiot… or whether you're actually smart."

"I have an IQ or a hundred and fifty," Caitlin supplied helpfully. "Though if I actually wanted to, I could probably get near 165…"

"Just shut it" the irritated spider hissed, stamping her foot in her annoyance. "If you don't shut up, I will shoot you!" she punctuated this with a jab of her blaster, pointed right at her.

Caitlin looked the femme up and down with a disinterested glance. "Sorry, death threats only work on those who're afraid of you…. And afraid of you, I am not." Blackarachnia screeched in fury and fired a missile. With a smile (and very used to an explosive-tempered former-Predacon), Caitlin simply stepped to the side. She cast a disappointed look at the hole in the tree—that could have been in her chest—and cocked a brow. She put a finger slowly to her lips. "Shh!" she hissed with mock sincere seriousness. She even looked around quickly from left to right as if to check the coast was clear, "You're not supposed to alert your enemy that you're coming!"

Blackarachnia took deep drags of air in (did robots even _need_ air?) to calm herself. "And here I thought Waspinator and Terrorsaur were bad!" she hissed.

Caitlin recoiled with a wince, and pouted. That was a low blow, even for a Predacon! "That's hitting below the belt, ain't it?"

"Enough!" Megatron growled, whirling on the two females. "I cannot have Optimus knowing where we are attacking… and I cannot and _will not_ let him send a message to that probe!"

"Oh dear," Caitlin cooed, holding her hands together under her chin and made a face. "Does the big and bad Predacon need a hug?" Megatron, in reply, sent her a chilling glare that caused a tingle to run down her spine. Not missing a beat, she smiled brightly and gave him a thumbs-up! "_Nope_! The Big and Bad Predacon needs some quiet and alone time—_GOTCHA_!"

_'I believe we've overstepped some sort of boundary as a Hostage,'_ a part of her mused.  
_'You mean by not showing fear?'_ she asked herself. _'And annoying them?'_  
_'That might be it...'_  
_'Gee? Aren't we the smart one?'_  
That part of her narrowed her inner eyes threatening._ 'I may just be a living figment of her imagination, but don't think I won't or can't hurt you!'_  
_'Why am I more scared of myself than a giant t-rex with anger issues?'_ was her only reply...  
That part of her grinned menacingly. _'Cos we're dangerous for your mentality; and you like to be lucid...'_  
_'...Fair point'_

Still, to be threatened by your own self. That said a great deal about her current mentality...

* * *

"Scorponok's attack was meant only to soften us up!" Dinobot told his two comrades as they all stood ready for battle. "Megatron will be coming in force."

"Well maybe Rhinox will get here before 'em!" Rattrap said with a race case of optimism. But, as soon as he said: a familiar screeching told them otherwise. "Or… maybe not."

Terrorsaur as the flashy fighter he was: started firing in an almost random pattern while the three Maximals defended their array. They fought for a few moments, until for some reason… the red bird flew off. "Hey!" Rattrap exclaimed, almost disappointed. "Where's leather-puss going?!"

"He always was a coward," Dinobot snorted with a satisfied smirk.

"Granted," a deep, familiar voice agreed. "But he makes an _excellent_ diversion!"

"Only cos he's red and has the voice of a man who's been hit one too many times below the belt," Caitlin drawled. The three Maximals frowned when the say her step out from behind Megatron's leg. She was between Tarantulas and the T-rex. Her expression said she was not there of her own accord. She looked frankly too pissed off to be there eagerly. And, Blackarachnia had put shackles on her wrist to punish Caitlin for annoying her. She had to give it the she-spider. She was one sadistic bitch!

"You don't know what you're doing, Megatron!" Optimus yelled.

The blasted bastard looked smug. "Oohh, on the contrary… I know _all_ about the probe from Cybertron. And I need to see you don't contact it. Predacons… ATTACK!"

"Geez," Caitlin muttered. "See this, you kill. See that, you kill. Whatever do you idiots do when you see your own reflection?" She scoffed and, with her hands till bound, leapt backwards as far as she could and zigzagged away from the battle. She didn't want to endanger the panther cub in her backpack. She'd taken enough from him already. Instead, she watched the battle, trying to stay out of sight as much as possible. The three Predacons fired at the Maximals—causing an explosion to erupt behind them. It sent Dinobot into a front-flip… only for him to land smoothly on his feet. "Dextrous bastard!" Caitlin cursed him. "The way he moves about—you'd think he'd be more flexible in his er… his err. Oh damn! I've got nothing! And I had thought of something really cool… and now it's gone." She saw something out of the corner of her eye that made her wince. "But _do_ I have one thing to say to _that_: YEE-OUCH!"

Dinobot had charged at the Predacons—only to be fired by the transformation-lock lens ('_Gah, let's call it: The TLL!' _she thought)—and karate-kicked in the face by Blackarachnia. Caitlin winced. Maybe, perhaps she probably shouldn't have annoyed the she-spider _that_ much. Poor Dinobot. He received a few more blows to the face like a stunned mullet before he dropped like a frog that had been hit over the head with a bat.

Cocking her hip, the she-spider was all smug as she grinned. "Impressive little toy, isn't it?"

Caitlin snorted. Oh, that just was just _asking_ for it! "I've seen better!" she called out, patting Shadow. She felt so much like Dr. Evil, except she had a panther, not a white ball of fluff that lost its fur after being cryogenically frozen. At the thought, she leant forward with an eager smirk, "Got one in another colour that locks onto Predacon signatures? But no," she added as she cocked her head, "It mustn't lock you in beast form, oh no: it freezes all your mobility but leaves your pain receptors… heightened. Oh… the _things_ I could do to you all…"

Blackarachnia could only blink her optics, not having seen this side of her: but then the she-spider was shot. She turned to face who had shot her, to find Rattrap standing there. He looked pretty badass, even. Not something one would expect from a rat who often said in the face of danger: '_we're all gonna die!' _"**Nobody** does that to my team, _sister_!" he scoffed and prowled towards the femme, firing as he went. Each of his hits forced her back. Caitlin chuckled, maybe a bit too evilly, when she saw that Rattrap was edging the spider to the cliff. She waited eagerly for the last shot—just as Blackarachnia realised her situation—and the rat shot her, sending her down, down, down… _and down_.

Concerned about Dinobot, she hurried towards them. He wasn't going to enjoy being locked in his Beast Form. Rattrap knelt down beside the raptor's head, concerned (though he'd vehemently deny it). "Dinobot, Maximise," the raptor growled out. The sound of the transformation was like a rotating leg of a toy that refused to budge. "Maximise. MAXIMISE!"

"Hey, you okay Chopperface?" Rattrap asked, staring down at him.

"I… I can't transform," Dinobot replied with an underlying emotion that surprised even Rattrap. A touch of fear.

Caitlin thought it would be best to explain it. "It's Tarantulas' new gizmo, it…" she blinked as a flash went past her eyes. "Locks you… in Beast Form," she finished as she and the raptor watched the rat transform into… a rat. And _stay_ that way.

"Oh no," Rattrap uttered with the tone of: '_this shit has gone – skipped the fan and shot straight to hell!'_

"Oh _yes_!" Megatron grinned and fired.

She didn't think. Caitlin just pushed both Maximals out of the way with a blast of wind. However, she realised with a stab of pang behind her eyes, she's gone a bit overboard. She ended up knocking them out a few metres away. Groaning, she fell to her knees at Megatron's feet. Distantly, she felt Shadow leap out of her backpack and rub his cheek against hers as she fought against the looming blackness, shrouding her vision. Not again!

Tarantulas approached Optimus and grabbed him by the beck with his pincers, and declared: "You're time has come, Optimus!"

"Guess again!" Optimus said, revealing his sword to strike. But, Tarantulas grabbed it. So, the ape fired the spider in the gut.

"OH NO!" and once again… the arachnid was thrown back a few feet.

A buzz went through the ape's systems, and he realised with dread, "NO!" that he'd been hit by the TLL.

"You're dreams of returning to Cybertron are over, Optimus," Megatron said, and fired. Lucky for Optimus, Optimus was very resourceful, and as such, Caitlin was granted an amusing sight: a gorilla picking up a metal road. Optimus used it as an over-sized cricket bat and batted the missile away from the array. She cheered in her mind since her body refused to move and pushed harder as Megatron pushed his foot down on Optimus, causing him to scream in pain. "Very resourceful," the t-rex said, "but in the end, the result is the same, yes!"

Caitlin laughed when Rhinox appeared, tapping Megatron on the shoulder. "Don't count on it, Motorhead!" he growled, and punched Megatron square in the face.

As she smirked, her vision began to darken further… until she finally fell unconscious and knew no more.

* * *

The scent surrounding her was unfamiliar. The atmosphere was too warm for the Axalon. The ship she'd come to call home was a comfortable temperature where she didn't need to warm herself up. But this place smelt of ash and fire. Grumbling, Caitlin slowly was brought back to awareness by an excited buzzing hanging near her head. Sounded like a bloody mosquito! Frowning, she realised that she didn't feel as if she was at home. A tad concerned (okay, _a lot!_), she pushed herself up to assess her surroundings. A headache bloomed behind her eyes, so she was wincing when she came eye-to-eyes with… Waspinator.

Well that told her where she was and where the annoying buzzing was coming from!

The Predacon wasp was almost ecstatic to see her finally awake. He peered into her cage, and Caitlin got the distinct impression that if she were a zoo animal: he'd be ooh-ing and aww-ing whilst trying to put a stick through the bars. Staring at him, wide-eyed, she decided to ignore her train of though and took a proper look at her surroundings. She was obviously in the Dark Syde. No way around that. But… she wasn't in the same place as she'd been before. Frowning, she sat up and settled in a cross-legged position. A rising, and primal, panic rose at the pit of her stomach. Unbidden, her heartbeat accelerated and her breathing became shallow. Panic attack alert! Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she held it: and released it slowly. She was _not_ going to panic. Panicking would only land her with a smug Predacon leader. And she'd rather not have that.

Decided, she felt her panic dwindle to a rush of adrenalin, rather than mounting hysteria. She could think clearer now. She turned slowly to face the green, curious face of the wasp. She blinked—'_So many damned eyes!_'—and remembered his question. "I am… _conscious_, I suppose. Such a shame that the first sight I see is your face though.., but lemme take a guess about that… Megatron captured me?"

"Yeeesssss," a smooth voice replied for the wasp. Jumping a little, Caitlin flicked her eyes to her right, where the purple dinosaur appeared. "Caitlin… it's such a _pleasure_ to see you."

Caitlin yawned widely, "I'm sure. You obviously have too much time on your hands, if you entertain this lot without going insane." She blinked after she said that as if she had a sudden realisation. She gasped and pointed at him, making sure to over exaggerate her surprise, "Wait: you ARE insane."

Megatron smiled tightly, "You flatter me." He pressed closer to her prison as that smile turned into a full-blown smirk of an evil overlord who'd just received his sharks with freaking laser beams attach to their heads… "And now," he laughed deeply, "YOU are my prisoner."

"And here I was thinking these bars were all for show," she drawled sarcastically. She smirked as Megatron twitched. How does one put a tyrant off guard? Why, you show disinterest and boredom, of course. There's nothing more annoying for an evil villain then yawning in the middle of his monologue… Or, that was her belief anyway.

Megatron frowned and stared at her for a heartbeat. Then, he slammed into her bars. "Why are you not panicking? Humans panic when they are in danger!" He stared harder at her and shook her bars as if that would make her scream for him. It was almost funny how much he wanted to hear her scream. "I would have thought you'd scream or beg for freedom."

Having managed to hold onto the rail behind her while Megatron tried to provoke her fear, she righted herself. She looked at her fingernails and peered at him from beneath her eyelashes. "Most humans aren't me, Megatron." She looked around her, noting that Shadow wasn't with her. She hoped he was safe. Not seeing him, she turned her hazel eyes to the Predacon Leader and cocked her brow. "I, for one, am _very_ stubborn. And two," she added with a smirk, "I love to scare other people. This makes me able to be calm in most situations."

Megatron shook his head and laughed. "No matter! By the time I'm done with you—_You_ will be begging for mercy! Ohhh, yeess!" and chuckled off into the distance.

Left alone, Caitlin folded her arms and closed her eyes. A shudder ran down her spine and she held a hand over her racing heart.

_'I've got a bad feeling about this,'_ she thought, her inner self hugging her knees to her chest.

Another part of her was pacing madly in agitation. This was the part of her that often succumbed to panic. Fear, paranoia and hysteria was her area of management. And she did not often manage it well. '_We don't know what's going to happen to me. I don't like this at all. I hate not knowing what's going to happen!'_

Another part of her slammed her fist down on a teacher's desk that appeared. She peered over shapely glasses that suited her small square face. Her expression was grim and serious. This was not a part of her that excused defeat. _'We need to stay calm! We cannot panic! We start panicking… we've lost!'_

One part of her piqued up and grinned, just a little crazily. This part of her craved danger and a challenge. Sanity held no meaning for this part of her. Destruction was her forte and games of all kinds were her playground. This was not a part of her that played nice or even. _ 'Are we going to play it like a game?'_

She cocked her '_brow'_ at that part of her. _'It is one we have equal chances of winning as we do losing…_**'**

The panicking part of her declared with an air of control: _'We cannot lose!'_

_'Agreed!' _was the instantaneous accord.

Opening her eyes, she leapt up and headed for the door.

She tried to fiddle with it, but 1) she didn't have a pick, and 2) she wasn't Rattrap.

"This is just… great. Just great!" she growled and kicked the cage door in frustration. She was literally locked in hell until someone freed her. And if it was one of the Predacons… they wouldn't unlock her to _free_ her, no. Never that. Megatron had her now. What he intended to do with her, she didn't know. Vincent was here because the Vok's enemies had picked him to be here. Why him? Who knows? It could have been as random as the Vok picking her—of all people—to save the world. She still didn't know why... But she had read about what could happen to prisoners of war. And she was an _AVID_ reader… and she'd skipped through most of those segments because she hadn't want to really think about it later on in her dreams.

Sighing, she fell back and stared up at the ceiling. _'I wonder what the others are doing… Are they okay?'_

* * *

"Why can't we go after her now?!" Cheetor demanded for the umpteenth time that afternoon. He was pacing the entire circle of the Command Centre, unable to sit still. Or remain quiet. He was a bot of action, and sitting still did not appeal to him. Especially when the human he called sister; had been captured by the Predacons. With a glaring glance at Rhinox, he remembered when the rhino had come back and declared the mission a failure, which hadn't been the worst new. No! The worst news was when the large green mech informed everyone that Caitlin had been captured by Megatron when everyone had been hit by the TLL. They were in the Axalon now, still discussing what to do about the situation—while Caitlin was in enemy's arms! It just wasn't right! "We have to save her!" Cheetor exclaimed, fear and concern making his voice crack.

Dinobot had finally had enough. He growled in fury and slammed his fists onto the console. One look at the former-Predacon made the cat wince. The raptor's optics were literally a click away from firing a laser beam—straight at his head. "Because we _do not_ have the means to do so, furball!" he snarled; and it was obvious he was on the edge of what little patience he had left.

Rattrap, during the mission, said not a word. He hadn't even quipped or remarked on the way back. Optimus, having noticed that everyone wasn't thinking clearly, told them all to retire to their rooms. They needed to be able to make a plan to save Caitlin, without being too emotional. This… the ape realised with a sigh: was going to be hard. They couldn't jeopardise Caitlin's life in any way, shape or form. She'd wormed her way into their lives and had become a member of this dysfunctional family. If anything happened to her… didn't bear being thought of.

Once the meeting was over, Rattrap disappeared to his room and refused to come out. Rhinox hadn't said anything else, having been flooded with guilt. He'd been the one who'd been there when Caitlin had gotten captured. But, he hadn't been able to do anything about it. He hadn't noticed the TLL until it was too late; and he could do nothing while Megatron took Caitlin away.

And so, in the following days that followed Caitlin's absence… the Maximals felt a large hole where something, or someone, was missing.

Dinobot had less patience and was far more elusive. He did his duty, but otherwise: remained in a constant state of bite and growl.

Cheetor's usual spirit had dwindled. He couldn't sleep properly and often kept asking Caitlin for her opinion, only to remember where she was, which made his mood worse.

Tigatron hardly visited as much as he usually did, but when he did visit: he often enquired about Caitlin's whereabouts.

Rhinox was easily irritated and couldn't concentrate on anything. He was full of guilt for allowing her to be captured, no matter what anyone said.

Rattrap had become hostile to anyone who dared asked him how he was; and kept to himself far more than normal.

And Optimus was at his wits end. He didn't realise until she was gone; how much Caitlin eased his concerns with her more laid-back and intuitive perspectives.

They all missed Caitlin, and in their absence, she truly felt alone. Something she had not experienced for a long, long time.


	14. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13: "To know who you are is the beginning"**_

You know, considering the fact that she was the enemy of the Predacons – and was physically weaker than the robots – one would've thought she would've been tortured for information. Or just for the plain sadistic enjoyment of watching her scream and beg, by now. But no! Mega-fucked-up-a-tron had ordered his minions to leave her alone. She was caged in "room" of sorts, hovering above a nice well of hot-burning lava. But perhaps she should count herself lucky. At least for now. There could be worse fates then being bored to death… Like dismemberment… Sighing to distract herself, she ran her fingers along the bars of her… accommodations and thought back to how she'd been placed there. She didn't really remember it. She'd woken up in her current housing arrangements… untied and experiencing no pain. Luckily…

Perhaps Megatron really did want her to get bored to death… But-as quickly as that idea popped in her head it was dismissed.

No, from what she'd seen of the Tyrant T-Rex, she was most likely going to have company. And not the: '_Let's share a pot of coffee and talk'_ sort.

Growling, she kicked at a stood in her '_pen'_. The tension was killing her! She was sure of it! If she hadn't had the watch Rhinox had given her, she wouldn't have even known what the time was. As it was, it had been almost three days since she'd been captured and imprisoned… and left to stew in her paranoia of uncertainty. She'd already bitten off all of her fingernails. She was almost considering biting off her toenails, but banished the urge instantly. Yup, she had decided with a nod. If nothing happened to her now, she was seriously going to lose it. If she hadn't lost it already… She released a long sigh until the need for air became too much and stood to feet. The monotony was seriously weighing on her nerves. She needed to do… something! So, she paced within the confines of her prison and pondered.

The more she more pondered, the more she worried. The more she worried, the more she fidgeted. The more she fidgeted, the angrier she became. The angrier she became, the more the lava boiled and churned beneath her. A particular nasty surge caused a sudden heat wave to waft up to her pen, and she paused when she realised the volcano was becoming more active. Oh dear! Talk about volcanic temperaments… But, with her mind distracted from her one-track musings, she realised she had two metal bracelets she didn't recall every putting on…

And they were burning her…

"What the—"  
"This is a fine surprise," an annoyingly familiar voice drawled. Caitlin spun so quickly to face who'd spoken, she experienced the feeling of whiplash. She winced and gripped her neck, taking in Vincent standing there in all his green-eyed glory. Stinking bastard! All she wanted to do was punch the living daylights out of him. Sadly, he was out of reach. So, she settled for crossing her arms and glaring daggers. She didn't even attempt to use her powers. She got the feeling that those bracelets had something to do with the burning… but for what reason? Vincent smirked as if realising her thoughts. "You won't be able to use your powers," he smirked. _Ah… that's why…_ "You'll get a nasty little shock. It's one of Tarantulas' creations. He had it tested on me… to make sure it'd work on _you_."

Surprised by that, she cocked her brow at her '_fellow'_ human. He came to a stop near her cage. He used that hovering device all the Predacons seemed to use; especially in areas affected by the lava below. She retreated from his approach to the wall furthest from the door; as Vincent opened and stepped inside. Her gaze instantly caught the red, tempting apple… and with an awakening growl: her stomach made it known she hadn't eaten for, what? Three days? He tauntingly showed her the apple and she stared at it, and then up at him. Vincent smirked once more at her apprehensive body language and held it out, offering it to her. "It's not poisoned. Megatron wants you alive for when he uses you against the Maximals… and I, the humble and well-doing Human-Predacon, reminded him that you still needed to eat. So be a good girl… and take it."

Her stomach growled, and she growled at the betraying piece of her anatomy. Her hunger winning her over, she held out her own arm, "Throw the apple here, then!"

Vincent obliged. He threw it higher than she could catch without jumping. If she wanted it, she'd have to stretch her arms out high… which would give Vincent a clear view of her form. She had caught his stare as she jumped to catch her food. The bastard even licked his lips, his green eyes a shade darker as he stared at her as if she were the apple. "That's a good girl…"

Caitlin leant against the bars in a sort-of sitting position with a snort, muttering; "That was a cheap trick." The male human raised his brows in reply and so, she elaborated. "You must be one really horny guy…"

Then, before Vincent could react: she raced across the cell and sucker-punched him square in the jaw. She smirked as his head hit the wall of the cell. Oh, she was getting good at this! It seemed her mock-fights with Dinobot had really paid off. Though, to be fair: Dinobot had been teaching her what a Predacon would do if they were to capture her (and some help that was when one was already unconscious at the time of capture!). She had to predict their movements and be quicker than them. Dinobot had repeated the same action again and again until she recognised subtle body language hints that told her what he was going to do.

She'd even managed to punch him a few times (only because he hadn't expected her to do it, though.)

Smirking at the memory of Dinobot's shocked expression that one time she got him square on the chin, she watched as Vincent slid to the floor in a groaning heap. Then, satisfied that he wouldn't be moving any time soon, but was not going to risk using that damned contraption! So, instead she returned to her corner as she munched on her apple.

"Well," she muttered around a mouthful of the juicy, tender flesh. "I feel better. What about you?" She received no reply. So, she grinned and declared: "An _excellent_ answer!"

* * *

Back at the Axalon, the Maximals were present in the Control Room. A rarity, considering Tigatron usually took to scouting the mountains where the other Maximals could not. Cheetor was sullen and quiet, another rarity. But, until Caitlin could be saved: it looked like it would become a common trend. The little cat sat beside Optimus, chin resting on his palm. He had found something that had reminded him of his adopted big sister; a wood carving he twirled on the bench. She had been working on it in her spare time. It was shaped like a cheetah; only its head and shoulders had been outlined. The rest still needed some work. It had become his favourite thing to do. He would roam his optics over the half-finished work, egging his fellow Maximals to hurry up with a plan to save her. As it were: they were no closer to getting her out of there, than they had been almost two days ago.

Glancing up from the carving, he cast his optics to the others. They were all deep in thought. He studied each of their faces. The glimmer of worry that shone in Dinobot's optics stunned the cheetah. It was not something he had expected of the former-Predacon. He closed his fingers over the carving, remembering a conversation he had with her.

Though, even to this day and age: he still couldn't remember why he'd asked her that question…

_Flashback:_

_"Say, Caitlin… what do you do, when people and life gets you down?" he asked, peering up at the hazel-eyed girl. They were sitting under a tree in the shade. It was a warm and pleasant day and they'd been given temporary leave from their duties. Caitlin had insisted upon a break and had demanded that he was taken with her. She'd stated that they were no good to the team if they didn't have their minds on the job. At the time, he had been – in her words – too '_chipper_' for her taste._

_Caitlin looked up from a slab of fallen wood she was picking at with a knife, and cocked her brow. "Why so curious?"_

_He shrugged, "I dunno… just making conversation. You've been picking at that would for hours! I'm bored! I thought we'd do something _fun_!"_

_She snorted. "Fun… is negotiable. There are many things that can be termed as '_fun'_. In Dinobot's case." she said by way of example, "_His_ definition of fun would be a battle with the Predacons. To the death, I might add. Rattrap's sort of fun… well," she shrugged with a sly smile, "That's not for one such as you, to know. As for Optimus and Rhinox… a quiet day where nothing goes wrong."_

_Frowning, Cheetor sniffed and lay his head down onto his paws, watching some zebra graze in the distance; mulling it over._

_She hummed once more then spoke, "When life gives me lemons, I make a milkshake."_

_He frowned, "How can you make a milkshake from lemons?"_

_"Easy," she grinned slyly, peering at him below her lashes with that mischievous grin. "You throw that shit out and grab yourself some chocolate ice-cream and milk: have a blender at the ready, and… voila!" She laughed at his dead-pan expression and patted his head. "Do not try to understand me, Little Brother, just know this: when something is sour, I seek something sweet. It takes the edge of the taste, making it easier to swallow."_

_Cheetor nodded in understanding, "I getcha now, but… how do you do that?"_

_She shrugged and then winced. "Damn, splinter!" She turned her attention to the splinter, whilst explaining: "Everyone has different coping strategies. The key is to learn from your experiences. If it happens to you again, you didn't learn your lesson. Or, you don't care enough about yourself," she managed to remove the splinter with a sigh, watching as a small bead of blood formed on the side of her thumb. "My strategy is to internalize it."_

_"Internalize it?" the cat frowned._

_She nodded, pulling up the splinter to look at it, before flicking it away. "I take all the hurt and bury it deep inside of me."_

_Cheetor frowned, "But all that hurt… wouldn't it… explode?"_

_She looked at him with an expression he hadn't seen before. It was cold and untouchable. "There is always that risk. You can do as much damage to yourself as others. But," she sighed and looked away, "This is minimized when you find… _outlets_ for the pent up rage and pain. I found that… singing, drawing, writing and making things with my hands… helped me greatly. But, I cannot do what most people do, and… talk about my feelings, most of the times. And, when I do: it is only when I have withdrawn all emotion and become distant to what I am saying. This makes me seem… apathetic to some, but… it is my way of coping."_

_Cheetor didn't know what to say about that. Then, he wondered how to distract her thoughts from the track they were going down. "I've been meaning to ask you something."_

_This peaked her interest. The coldness in her eyes vanished with the spark of curiosity that relit them. "Oh? And… what is that?"_

_"What does the saying: shit hits the fan… mean?"_

_She grinned toothily. "Oh… that means everything's gone kaput—disaster strikes!"_

_"Oh," was all he could say._

_"Personally," Caitlin added with a sly grin. "I prefer to say: When the shit hits the fan—rig that shit up with explosives and throw it at your enemies, and let them deal with the cleanup!" Then, she titled her head back and laughed as if she was picturing that happening._

_Cheetor couldn't help but laugh with her. Her laugh was sort of contagious…_

_End of Flashback_

_'Wait a click!'_ Cheetor thought. He straightened in his seat, a determined glean shining in his optics. "Can't we… rig an explosion to the Predacon ship?!"

Everyone froze as they registered what he said. As one, they turned to face the youngest member of their team. Cheetor felt is face turn hot. He opened his mouth to forget about it, but Optimus stood with a smile that stopped his mouth. "That…. Is a good idea!" the ape exclaimed, placing a hand on the cat's shoulder.

On the cat's other side, Rhinox patted his back with pride. "Good work, Cheetor!"

Rattrap was also pleased by the cat's suggestion, but scoffed at one small little detail about that plan. "Yeah, but it's _me_ that's gotta do the dirty work!" He rubbed the back of his neck and glanced to the side, a frown marring his face. "Surprised I hadn't thought of it earlier. Demolitions, is _my_ thing…"

Tigatron congratulated the young cat as well. When Cheetor's optics fell upon Dinobot however, he found himself gaping. The former-Predacon had given him a congratulating smile. And not just ANY smile. A thankful smile! He blinked his optics, but the image remained in his memory banks. The End was coming… He was sure of it!"

Optimus decided it was high time to get Caitlin out of there. He turned to the raptor, "Dinobot… where do you think Caitlin would be held? We don't want to rig the explosion too close or too far from her location. She could get hurt from the blast and," here he grinned, "I do not think she would appreciate that."

Dinobot snorted at that, but shifted in his seat as he tapped his finger against his chin. He rifled through his memory banks… "There are many places Megatron would see fit to place such a liable hostage," he said and then turned to Rattrap. "Where were you placed, vermin?"

"Above a lava pit," Rattrap quickly responded. Then he paused and added, oh-so helpfully: "In a cage."

"Caitlin's not so fond of heights," Cheetor muttered to himself, remembering one little secret she'd told him. "Well," he added under the disbelieving look Optimus sent him, "If she's up there for long enough." He laughed and scratched the back of his head awkwardly. He did not mean to say that out loud! Oh, Caitlin was going to kill him when she found out!

"Some of us will have to distract the Predacons while someone goes find Caitlin," Rhinox pointed out.

"Dinobot and Rattrap: infiltration is up to you," Optimus said.

Both the rat and raptor glared one another. They were about to argue, but the ape held up his hand with a stern look. "No arguing. Rattrap is a master infiltrator and Dinobot knows the layout of the ship already. If you work together, you can find Caitlin quicker." Seeing that he had stopped their complaints, Optimus turned to the others. "The rest of us will plant the bomb and keep the Predacons busy will Rattrap and Dinobot find Caitlin."

"When we doing this?" Rattrap asked, eager and ready to get going.

"We'll do it tomorrow," the ape answered the rat, looking at him. "Rattrap, you will make that bomb with a timer. We'll need to draw their attention somewhere else, out of the way, while one of us puts the bomb on the ship. Cheetor! That's your job!" Cheetor saluted to show that he understood and Optimus continued with his plan. "We'll retreat in defeat. When we're sure that the Predacons can't see us – we'll regroup around the Dark Syde. Rattrap's count-down of the bomb will exploded at the designated time, leaving Cheetor, Rhinox, Tigatron and myself to fight with whoever comes out. Then Rattrap and Dinobot – you two move in. Does anyone have any questions about what we're doing?"

"Why are we wasting time?" Cheetor asked—heading off to his room to pack his '_Big guns._'

They were finally doing something. By tomorrow – Caitlin would be back! There wasn't any time standing around, he had to prepare!

The older mech's watched Cheetor disappear down the hall.

Dinobot snorted after a moment. "I second the feline," he spoke gruffly and headed to his quarters.

Rattrap snorted as well, but stood. "I'll start making dat bomb," he announced and sashayed to his room to do precisely that.

The last three: Tigatron, Rhinox and Optimus – were left behind as the others left to prepare themselves.

"Cheetor seems to have returned to high spirits," Tigatron mentioned amusedly, glad for the change in the little cat.

Optimus smiled. "Caitlin is like an older sister to him. He's been miserable without her within easy reach. Caitlin, while she can only handle so much of his hyper activeness – always tries to be there for him." Optimus chuckled and shook his head, looking over at the spot the human often occupied. "You should see her sometimes… sometimes she doesn't have any particular opinion or like for what Cheetor is saying, but she will pay attention and comment when he asks her opinion. Her patience with him is quite… remarkable."

Rhinox laughed at that. "If Caitlin is patient… _I'm_ a floor lamp."

Tigatron frowned. "Why do you say that."

The rhino shook his head as he thought of the human. "Caitlin may _act_ patient, but that doesn't mean she _is_. She's just too polite to tell Cheetor to scram when he rambles on and on."

Optimus' optics blanked out. "Polite? She's got a vocabulary that makes even _Rattrap_ blush sometimes."

Rhinox shrugged, "I'm just saying that she will linger and listen to you, when all she wants is to be left alone. Watch her next time. She taps her fingers or her foot when you've over-reached her tolerance of you, but she can't move herself away because you're still talking to her. Nor will she tell you to piss off – _most_ of the time."

Optimus frowned, but remembered many a conversation where he'd been informing Caitlin about the dangers of going off on her own. She had folded her arms, lowered her head slightly in a submissive pose, but he hadn't been able to glean any information from her eyes. They had been cold and blank. And… her finger had been tapping with increased speed the longer he disciplined her. And – there were also memories where Caitlin had been listening to Cheetor. She had smiled, nodded her head and replied back, but her finger had been tapping furiously. He remembered her glances to the door…

Rhinox seemed to realise his thoughts, because he chuckled and said; "You've only just realised, haven't you?"

Optimus smiled sheepishly. "She isn't obvious about it, but… now that I think back on it: yes… she did look impatient. How did you notice it?"

The rhino smiled, "Caitlin and I are alike in the fact we both observe others." He'd been surprised by some of her wry observations to spoke out loud, but she never extended on why she thought that. She'd only smile at him and leave him to question what she'd said. Then, he frowned and covered his face with his hands and then said his worst fear; "What do you think is happening to her?"

Optimus sighed as a man burdened with more than his fair share, "I don't know, Rhinox. I don't know."

Silence fell between them again and they didn't move for a long time.

* * *

When Megatron floated onto the scene, he was flabbergasted. His human Predacon was slumped against the door of the cell. But, it seemed the human Maximal hadn't taken her chance to escape. Well, not like she could, he thought as he looked at the cell door. Vincent had left his key on the other side. Foolish! As he came to a stop, the female glanced up from the apple which had been half-eaten. She glared up at him and growled. "What was in that apple?!" It was almost amusing… this little human trying to threaten him.

But… "You seem to still be conscious, yesss," Megatron mumbled to himself thoughtfully. Completely ignoring his highly-annoyed prisoner in favour of opening the door and beating Vincent over the head. "Wake up you fool!" he snapped. He stepped back as a fiery cocoon encased the human. It was a protective barrier, a subconscious defense Megatron had come to despise. It made sneaking up on the human quite… difficult.

Vincent groaned and stood shakily to his feet. "Wassup?" he drawled drunkenly, looking blearily at his leader. He swayed slightly and tried bracing himself against the cell. He stiffened when his bright green eyes caught red and infuriated optics. "Oh… Mega-tonne!" he exclaimed, the protective barrier falling slightly. He frowned, eyebrows drawn together as if trying to solve an extremely difficult puzzle. "I was meant. Bring her to you… once she… finished. Apple…"

"And you have failed, human! She has not finished the apple!" Caitlin groaned, halting Megatron's triad and he glanced at her, noticing her attempts to move. He smiled with malevolence. "But her movements are sluggish, yesss – Bring her to the lab!" he declared.

Caitlin attempted to move, but didn't get far. It was as if she'd been drugged. FROM AN APPLE! How the _hell_ did those mechanical bastards do that? Since she wasn't able to move, she glared up at Vincent. He was swaying just as drunkenly as she felt, which made her feel justified that she'd given the asshole a concussion. Somehow, however, sadly; Vincent managed to follow Megatron's orders and pluck her from the floor. It showed a great deal of his strength, but he was shaky on his feet as he dragged himself to his floating pedestal. She swayed dangerously close to falling off Vincent's shoulder.

Megatron growled at the incompetence, glaring up at the ceiling. "I fail to see why I am surrounded by either _idiots_ or backstabbing _traitors_! Though the traitors keep me on my toes… it's the idiots I cannot stand for!" the tyrant exclaimed, more to himself as he ripped her from Vincent's grasp. Vincent staggered, but managed to stay on his pedestal and not fall into the pit of lava.

Pity…

Then, the weight in his hold shifted. He glanced down at her as she pointed at him, "Maybe cos ya're a Predacon, Barney!" Caitlin (the annoying insolent wretch that she was) drawled drunkenly. Her eyes rolled as she struggled to remain conscious, her anger the only thing keeping her on the brink. "I used to have a Barney," she continued and Megatron rolled his eyes. Maybe Scorponok had put a _little_ too much in. Though, in the scorpion's case: nothing was really certain. "When I was younger, I'd fight my twin for it—cos she lost hers and she wanted mine. Now you're Barney… and I hate Barney. It's blasphemy! I like T-Rex's, and here you are parading in one's skin!" she threw out her arms, but hissed as her bracelets sent a shockwave of pain down her arm. She huddled against Megatron, something that caused his eyebrow to quirk upwards. Had she been fully conscious of her actions, she would have never done a thing. Apparently she was a chatty-hugging drunk. Interesting… "Damn Predacons and their need for domination over every-fucking-thing! Watcha gonna do with the galaxy, exactly? Spray-paint over it in your embalm? Sketch '_Predacons Were Here'_, before moving on? I mean, come o—HEY WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE TWO BENT OVER LIKE THAT?!"

Megatron optics bugged out of his head, but then Caitlin kept going. He almost thanked her for the distraction of the memory mental image. Almost. She was the one to point out…

No, that thought he dare not dwell on! Ever!

"Watcha gonna do when you've conquered everything? You're gonna get bored, that's what! I'M bored just thinking 'bout it. There'd be nothin' for you to aspire to! You'll grow bored of life and kill yourselves… Well, one could only hope…" Here, Caitlin shot him a grin, peering up at him slyly and almost coherently... "Maybe you'll even turn Maximal… isn't _that_ a thought?"

As he stared at the human female doped up on too many drugs to keep her compliant; he wondered if, perhaps: the old-fashioned knock-out-with-a-heavy-object, would have been better. And less painful… _for him_, too. He didn't exactly trust the power-reducers on her wrists. They had barely worked on Vincent as it was. They'd only dimmed his abilities. The pain, if Caitlin were to overcome it: could become an enhancer for her abilities. Rage certainly was Vincent's…. So, Megatron had taken an extra precaution. Vincent had overdosed on painkillers he'd had with him in his pack he took everywhere that he had arrived in. After Vincent had explained to him what those strange small pills were, Megatron had decided to marinate them into the apple.

Maybe… he shouldn't have bothered…

"I wonder if Alex watches me from heaven," Caitlin suddenly mumbled, catching his attention.

The tyrant cocked his ridge in surprise – but then saw her eyes drooping. She had fallen into that blank and dark world of unconscious. With a final roll of her eyes, her lids closed and her head lulled back against his arm – and her entire body went limp. He stared at his prisoner.

"Finally!" he proclaimed and then and only then: did he allow his thoughts to ponder what she had meant by that. It could be worth it… to look into it.

* * *

While Megatron was bringing in the girl; Tarantulas was setting up the lab. He was eager to test her blood to find any anomalies. He remembered the time Terrorsaur had told Megatron (Tarantulas had been hanging from the ceiling above while the coward was giving his report) about a time when Optimus and Caitlin had been on a mission together. Terrorsaur had wanted revenge for the day when the girl had melted his chest-plate; and she'd been thrown off the cliff – banging her head upon a large tree trunk on her way down… when it had happened. From her body, emerged a clear-liquid, pulsating light. It had been light blue with flashes of blood red veins and black tendrils. It had burst out of her chest, near her heart and enveloped her from behind. It had slowed her descent and lowered to the ground. Then, upon the Predacon's recovery where they'd started firing at her; it had taken the form of a dragon – and sent a shockwave of Energon-like waves towards the threats. Terrorsaur had been knocked back a few miles, where he had fallen into stasis lock before Waspinator had found him.

The spider was curious about this event. Very, very curious. He was particular curious as to whether he could force a repeat of such events or something similar. However, his thoughts were interrupted by a distant, echoing shout of: "HEY! WHAT THE HELL ARE THOSE TWO DOING BENT OVER LIKE THAT?!" Cocking one side of what was his "_eyes_". He checked behind him, with an air of '_what the slag is that_?' He paused in his ministrations and waited for Megatron to appear with the girl. They must have drugged her with more than she could handle. But, he didn't want to risk her running off.

While he had wanted her free to cause havoc and keep Megatron busy, he could not deny this posed an intriguing conundrum. And as a Predacon scientist, he couldn't let this opportunity slip through his fingers or, pincers, as it were. And, unlike Vincent, Caitlin didn't appear to have a barrier that protected her while she slept. Which was even interesting still…

Two humans transported back in time by alien species – had their DNA's reshaped and given the same and different abilities. He wondered how similar and different the two were.

Then, Megatron appeared. Caitlin was held one-handed in his _"leader's"_ grasp. It was obvious that she was unconscious, having finally succumbed under the drugs. His thought was proved further when Megatron unceremoniously dumped the girl upon the examination/experimentation table. The purple tyrant turned his burning red optics seriously upon the arachnid. "She is to remain alive. Torture her as you please for information when she wakes up: but she is to remain mentally stable!" he demanded.

The spider bowed, daring to be mocking, "Of course, Megatron." His 'leader' spared a glance at him before turning back to whatever it was the ambitious tyrant did on his own – in his quarters. A small groan broke his train if thought. Looking down at the girl, he couldn't think of a moment she'd ever been so helpless. He was unprepared for how… enthusiastic he was to start. However, he was also disappointed that the girl was unconscious – and would remain so for a while.

Well… at least until the pain hit.

He cackled at all the possibilities and approached the table where lay, so helplessly. Looking down at her, he salivated at the realisation that she was completely at his mercy. Had he not been so acutely aware that Megatron wanted her alive – and that she was an ends to a mean to keep Megatron busy; he would have eaten her. But, he knew the benefits of keeping her alive. So, alive she would remain.

He lifted his pincer and then brushed back a lock of hair, obstructing his view of her face. He did this gently. He did not want to make unnecessary marks, after all. Bending down, started to strap her hands to either side of her head. "We'll see just how long you can remain unconscious," told her as he tightened the straps to her arms and legs. Turning to his side-table, he picked up a scalpel. The tip of it reflected the lights from above. He cackled once more, and looked down at her, wondering where to lay the first cut. Looking over her, he saw so many, many options. "Now… let's open you up and see what you hide inside!"

The sharp, metallic scalpel drew closer… her eyelids fluttered.

Dinobot stared at the necklace lying innocently before him on his desk. Caitlin had once asked him what he'd do if she gave him a present in return for teaching her. He had told her he would not accept such a sentimental gift. It was beneath him. It was obvious, however, that she hadn't listened to him. She had carved: 士 (which he had later learnt, meant Warrior) into the wood. It had taken her quite a while to achieve the end results that lay on his desk. She had decorated the rectangular piece with tiny raptors prowling the edges. Written on the back was something in her own language, which she had refused to disclose to him. She'd taken some wires that weren't going to be used any time soon; and without him even knowing: had placed it in his quarters. She'd avoided him like the plague for a few days after that. She had, after all, invaded his privacy and _his_ space. However, he had come to grudgingly accept her gift – with a more reluctantly followed after thank you. Actually, it had not been an exact thank you, but he hadn't returned the gift either.

He remembered that day. He had been tiptoeing around the actual thank you for the gift – with always having the mind to return it. She seemed to have gotten fed up with it, and had blatantly said: that he should man up and accept the gift that she'd freely given him with a bit more finesse. It had taken up so much of her free time to actually give it to the ungrateful, irritable raptor that he was. And so, he had said, _"I appreciate your concern, but—" _  
_"—It is non-negotiable! You don't even need to wear it! Just keep it!" she had growled and walked off, leaving it on his desk._

Shaking his head, Dinobot clasped his multiple fingers together and focused closely at the writing at the back of the pendant. It wasn't the one that meant Warrior. He remembered something about Rhinox making a program for Caitlin so she could translate Cybertronian from her language. Perhaps… he could do the same thing, but in reverse. Decided, he gently gathered his pendant in one hand and approached her room. He paused when he noticed Cheetor still there. Her little computer-gadget was still there. He remembered Caitlin telling Rhinox a bit about what little she knew about '_laptops'_ – and Rhinox had shimmied up this contraption. She had almost burst with excitement when she found many similar things.

Rattrap had taken a dig at her enthusiasm for something so simple, in which she had replied with an underlying sly tone: _'Apparently, some of you computer-minded individuals possess more than useless data – like some rats I know….'_Of course, Rattrap had taken instant offense to that… and Rhinox had laughed heartily at the rat's discomposure.

Whilst the raptor reminisced, Cheetor saw him looming in the doorway. "Oh hey Dinobot! What're you doing here?"

Dinobot turned a sharp eye on him, and saw no need to lie and held up the pendant. "I wanted to see if I could translate this."

Cheetor looked down at the pendant proffered to him and then at Caitlin's '_laptop'_. "Here," he said and handed it over and went about his usual business.

The raptor took a moment to marvel on how easy that was; and then promptly returned to his quarters. Once there, he opened it up and went to a program he'd seen Caitlin click on. However, he was startled to find himself staring at a title: _English to Cybertronian. Work of the former President, CEO and Director of Luminent, Dr. William R. Spivey._ Dinobot frowned thoughtfully, especially at the subtitle: _You must remember this._ Trailing his optics down the page, he read aloud the words:

_No one is an island, everyone needs to be wanted. _  
_To be wanted, you must be known; _  
_To be known, you must build relationships;_  
_To build relationships, you must communicate;_  
_To communicate, you must have something to say;_  
_To have something to say, you must have a plan;_  
_To have a plan, you must know where you are going;_  
_To know where you are going, you must know where you are;_  
_To know where you are, you must know who you are;_  
_To know who you are is the beginning._

The former-Predacon frowned and tapped his fingers thoughtfully against the desk. He had always wondered why she spent most of her free time on the '_laptop'_: and now he knew. Or, some part of the reason, perhaps. She would reread this poem over and over again. It… boded a great deal of thoughts. Most, he did not wish to delve into. It was then he noticed another tab. He considered whether he should or shouldn't. His finger hovered over the button that would take him there… He ran his glossa over his teeth… "No," he shook his head.

He opened a new document and proceeded to type what he original planned to do. After he had typed in the coinciding, unfamiliar letters, he told the '_laptop'_ to translate it. He waited for a moment while it filtered through, then… he felt his jaw unhinge and drop; because eon the back of his pendant was: _"Dinobot: The Warrior and my precious Friend."_

He hastily shut off the laptop and charged back into Cheetor's room.

Cheetor blinked – suddenly holding Caitlin's '_laptop'_ and blinked again – no one was there.

The cat looked down at his hands and then back at the empty hallway that disappeared as the door closed automatically.

"What the spotted heck was that all about?!"

* * *

Hidden away in the confines of his private quarters, Rattrap was equal parts worried and annoyed. He was annoyed that he was worried and he was worried about Caitlin. Who knew what was happening to her on that Predacon ship! He'd seen many, many casualties of war. So he had some idea. None boded well for his mind. He ground his teeth together and returned his attention to making the bomb. He had to make it perfectly. Usually he was able to make one with ease. But now… he wasn't able to concentrate. Her life was at stake. Sighing, he figured he wasn't going to make any progress – feeling like _this_. He pushed himself away from his desk and made his way to his berth.

He needed to have a lie down. With the way he was fretting, he wouldn't be able to fiddle with the trickier parts of the bomb. He needed a calm mind for that. When he was finally prone horizontal, he pressed the button on his arms. From a hidden compartment; a wood carving of a rat appeared. He had caught Caitlin making it at one point. In return, she had whacked him over the head, shoved his 'thanks-for-teaching-me' present to his chest-plate and stormed back inside.

She had avoided him a while after that too. From what he'd gathered, she had a penchant for fiddling with her hands. With the dagger's Rattrap had fashioned for her, she used them to teach herself how to carve more than just basic shapes. Her room was often lined with bits and materials of stones she found interesting, pieces of broken off wood and feathers. She had even started looking for teeth off long-dead animals. And she had also collected the shells of long-since dead turtles that she had collected and used as make-shift bowls.

She had admitted that she was a bona fide hoarder. And she liked to make things when she was bored, troubled or just needed something to occupy herself. She was also very sentimental and never really thanked many people with words, but more with gifts. And that was the reason for the carving of the rat.

Shaking his head, he ran his fingers along it until he came to a word sketched into the underbelly.

It was: 偵 and it meant Spy.

Rattrap had loved it, not that he'd ever admit it – to their faces. He had a reputation to hold, after all.

Caitlin might not have said anything about his silent acceptance of her gift, but she would smile every time she saw it in its honorary spot in his room.

He sighed again and shut off his optics to gain a clearer head to finish off the last, but most delicate part of the bomb. But, sleep evaded him.

Only one thing was on his mind: what were the Preds doing to Caitlin?

* * *

Far from the Axalon and Maximal knowledge – screams echoed from the belly of the Dark Syde. They ranged from pained to primal inhumane roars that unsettled the foundations of the crashed spaceship. Waspinator, in the echoes of the screams was becoming edgier by the second. He might be a Predacon, but even he was not unmoved by the pain of the girl – who he had often wished to see dead. Terrorsaur as well, had become jumpy. He felt part justified and part disgusted. He admitted neither. Scorponok did not cackle, even when Megatron did. He remained quiet and aloof as their prisoner was tortured. He did not venture outside his private quarters unless absolutely necessary. Vincent had to literally announce that he was coming into a room; every single one he wanted to walk into – for fear of being shot by trigger-happy, nervous Predacons.

Even he would admit he was starting to feel sorry for Caitlin – the one enduring the torture. He might love chaos and madness… but at the hand and misplaced mercy of Tarantulas? That was the essence of what pure tormenting turmoil was to endure. But, sympathy was not welcomed, tolerated or understood by most Predacons. So, he hardened his emotions and turned to face Blackarachnia. The she-spider had taken to staring into the direction Caitlin was held in. Her normally guarded look had turned thoughtful, solemn even, as she continued to hear the screams from the human female. Then, she hissed – her face twisting into a disbelieving snarl. "Why doesn't she say anything? She'll die if she doesn't give them something!"

Oh, now that was interesting… "Are you saying you care about the female, Blackarachnia?" Vincent drawled; a dark smirk on his lips. But, unbidden, his eyes retained a hint of worry for what his fellow human was going through. He may have been a Predacon-associate, but that didn't mean he abided to every single one of their ways. He was only human, you know! But, his humanity aside, he couldn't very well submit to those sentiments. Blackarachnia instantly drew out her weapon and lodged it underneath his jaw. Her eyes spoke death. To his credit, Vincent didn't even flinch. He stared back into the fierce glare the she-spider was trying to burn him alive with. With an infuriated and fed-up growl, she kicked him away. He grunted as he impacted with the wall, but managed to stand to his feet – though he swayed slightly.

Then, her anger seemed to disappear, but her tone spoke her confusion about the girl's silence. She shifted her gaze back to the door and then at him. "How long will they be at this?"

Vincent turned away from that gaze and ran his tongue over his teeth. "Until she cracks," he replied. He turned back to the door towards the lab as a strangled scream seemed to make the foundations vibrate. "Megatron wants her sane," he spoke with a snort, "But I don't think Tarantulas has the same idea about the words' meaning…"

Blackarachnia stared closely at the human, and the emotion in his gaze. "You're worried about her," she stated. And it wasn't a question.

Vincent raised his brows mockingly. Quickly, his aura flickered then darkened and slowly, predatory – he stalked towards her. The Predacon femme suddenly felt cornered as a dark edge came upon the human before her. She had seen many, many expressions and emotions of this human. But she had never felt threatened by him. Vaguely annoyed and curious about him, but never threatened. She took a step back in an attempt to gain some distance between them. Instead, she found herself pinned to the bench behind her. He was tall for a human. And she vaguely realised he was making himself appear taller than he actually was.

Then, his green eyes flashed dangerously and in warning. "Don't psycho-analyse _me_, she-spider."

"And why not?" she retorted, refusing to allow this pitiful human get the better of her.

Vincent slid his arms to land on both sides of her, effectively trapping her. His shield warped into being that kept the she-spider in place. Blackarachnia then realised that the shield was both a defense and an offense. His electric green eyes were dead serious as he gave his only and last warning. "I'll become something that even Megatron would fear." And without another word, he turned on his heel and was gone before she could even blink.

Checking that no one was around, she slumped against the bench she often sat at. Instant relief in his absence flooded through her circuits. Her Spark was pulsating wildly in nervousness. She had not expected such a thing from the human. She had not been prepared for it, but, now she would never allow him to corner her again. She was Blackarachnia… and _no one_ controlled her! Or told her what to do! Steeling back her composure, she headed back to her post and sat down.

She thought nothing more of Vincent, but her thoughts kept returning to the human female that screamed tormentingly below.

* * *

Above the primitive Earth – a certain yellow-orb flickered in discomfort. In a flash, a familiar humanoid formed. The edges blurred and then: there stood the Vok Caitlin had first met.

Sam stared down at the contraption that enabled him to see anything and everything below. It was a floating sphere consciousness that saw into the past, the present and the future. It was forbidden to use it without expressed permission from the Council, so he had to be careful. His strange, vaguely-human features pulled into a frown. He chanced a glance around him, but there was no one. The image of Caitlin screaming tugged at what might be his heart.

He had been gone for some time, having taken her advice to seek out human culture and live amongst them, to learn.

He found humanity to be very intriguing. They knew they could not escape death and often delved into the philosophy of what life meant. There were many theories, many wonders to be sought and discovered. They had achieved many, many great things. They were still prone to war, but conflict was the essence of change. Without it, there was no evolution. And they had evolved over the millennia. But this learning of them had gained him a deeper understanding for their need to live and experience. And he had formed a strong connection and love for them.

And he cared for this young girl the Vok had chosen to fight for them. Very deeply.

He had come to a decision. He was going to help Caitlin out of this. Thor had already noted that this would happen. She would be changed into a perfect blended union of human and robot. A perfect cyborg soldier. But, this would come at the price of her humanity. She would truly be alien to her own emotions; and be unable to adapt to the change. He had seen this in her future.

The human mind could only deal with so much. This… would destroy her. He couldn't let that happen.

He headed for the structure that had sent Caitlin back in time; where the Maximals and Predacons had waged their war. He had just entered the machine and flipped the switch to ready it: when a familiar green-and-blue ball of light entered the tube to hover beside him. Sam knew who this was instantly… but she could not be here! "GAIA! What are you doing? They'll Shadow you for sure!"

Shadow was the term used for the execution of one of their species. They were light. Shadow was their fatal enemy.

"Following you," a soft, feminine voice replied from the pulsating ball.

The countdown had already begun, but Sam hardly registered outside of his curiosity as the room began to brighten. "Why?"

"Because I feel sorry for what this human girl must go through," Gaia replied – and then an eerily beautifully woman humanoid appeared. She had blue-glowing skin and bright green eyes formed. Sam nodded at the burning determination in her orbs, unable to turn the older Vok away.

For one, it was too late to open the door to kick her out.

And two, she _was_ the one who had designed Earth and all of its creatures and planets.


	15. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14: "WHAT?!"**_

The dawn approached with an air of anticipation. A song heard only by those who possessed the ability to hear the primal melody, thrummed through the air. It was this aura on the wind; that bright emerald eyes blinked open to. With the bearing of small, but sharp teeth: the young panther yawned and stretched to his feet. He had slept outside of the huge, bright object that was like a mountain that reflected the sun. It was something his feline, young eyes had not seen before in his short life – and his mother had not known what it was either. He remembered she often avoided it on their travels. But, it had been that day – when a running form had blurred past them. Then there was this strange roar – and within a few moments; fire had cascaded all around them. His mother had protected him, but she had died doing so.

He had lashed out instantly at the strange creature that had looked upon him and picked him up; holding him to its chest. He remembered trying to attack it with his still developing claws, yowling as he futilely tried to escape its grasp. Then, she had spoken to him in a strange, sad tone. She had taken a deep breath; and a sound unlike anything he'd ever heard before floated to his ears. It had lulled him to calm down and he'd grown drowsy, peaceful…

His ear twitched, remembering that something had happened to him. His tail twitched, wondering what it was. He felt… _different_. As if he'd suddenly gained new capabilities within the small time he'd stayed by '_Caitlin's'_ side. She had called him… Shadow; and he'd been surprised that he could understand her.

Suddenly, he felt himself being lifted into the air. He hissed, his green eyes falling upon a large creature with red-glaring eyes and the sharpest set of teeth he'd ever seen. Instinctively, he stuck out – catching his claw along the nose of the thing holding up. His instincts demanded that he now show his fear – no matter what the thing holding him looked like.

Dinobot had intended on going for a patrol, but before he had even left the Axalon's borders: his optics had caught sight of the small, black feline that had accompanied Caitlin before her capture. He wondered how the small thing had survived, considering its age. It was with this thought, he had approached the creature and plucked it from the ground. It was still hissing in fury and its determination not to show fear to this new threat (being himself).

"Watcha find, Chopperface?" Rattrap asked from behind him. The despicable rodent was still behind him. Dinobot had intended to reply, but was surprised when the small creature lashed out at his nose. It was obviously frightened by him, but it wasn't about to let up on trying to get free. Such a thing demanded a response, but it was a young thing. It would hardly be worth the effort to kill either, for its offense. But, some deeply buried part of him was amused to find the small feline snarl and hiss at Rattrap, still futilely struggling against his iron grip.

"Hey!" Cheetor exclaimed, appearing suddenly, "That's Shadow!"

The small creature calmed upon hearing the name Caitlin had given him. Dinobot analyzed it. Shadow's wide emerald eyes flashed with fear, anger and startling intelligence. It had quieted now and looked at them as if it knew what they were saying. Tigatron appeared next to the cheetah, inspecting the small creature. "Where did you find that young cub?"

"Caitlin found him," Cheetor replied grimly. "She lost her temper and her fire exploded. She killed Shadow's mother."

Tigatron blinked and looked back down at the panther, "And this happened before she was captured?"

Cheetor nodded in reply and plucked Shadow from Dinobot's grasp, stalking away as she whispered softly to the panther. The black cat cocked his head curiously to the side, listening to Cheetor chatter away.

Once the two were gone, the white tiger looked back at the rat and raptor. "What happened to her, for her to lose her temper?"

It was Dinobot who replied. His tone suggested that this should be obvious; "She was angry because you Maximal's were so _eager_ to leave and go home."

Rattrap blinked and his head snapped towards the raptor, who'd just returned to his beast form. Dinobot shot the rat a glance and set off to patrol the grounds in solitary solitude. Tigatron glanced at Rattrap, who'd taken to staring into the distance; lost somewhere in his mind-scape.

"I will… see you later," Tigatron announced to the unresponsive rat, who did not reply.

Quietly, the tiger disappeared out on the plain, leaving the rat alone with his thoughts.

* * *

The Dark Syde was a hot place, not that its residents registered the heat. They seemed to relish it. After all, they were cold-blooded animals; and their structures seemed to have taken this in stride. The Maximals had taken on the forms of warm-blooded creatures; and thus seemed to generate their own heat. Or, at least that was her theory. But, this was all inconsequential. It wasn't like she was going to write a thesis about it and hand in the documented folder to Megatron; and be promoted to Second-In-Command for her genius.

No, she was trying to distract herself.

Pacing back and forth in a manner so unlike herself, Blackarachnia kept looking back at the entry to the chamber Caitlin was held in. It had been silent for about two hours, for once. She'd seen Tarantulas leave the human female on her own. Something about not being able to crack her so easily; and he needed to get some sort of laser. Had she been in another frame of mind, she would have been eagerly cataloguing what he was saying. As it was; she was debating whether or not she should go into that room… and see what had happened to that human.

Finally, the she-spider growled to herself and threw her arms into the air. "What do I care about the Maximal human?"

_'Because you are worried about her, despite her allegiance,'_ a betraying voice in the back of her mind whispered. _'She is a fellow female in the Beast Wars. You know what can happen to females in War… The mechs not be able to do what they want with her – but they can get close. And, from what you've glimpsed of Vincent… Caitlin may be harmed by more than just a physical wound.'_

"SHUT UP!" she yelled at the voice – but it had left its mark. She hissed, but couldn't escape that niggling thought. She may be a Predacon, but there were certain things that struck all females. No matter from what culture or species they were from. The means may be different, but the end result was always the same. With a reluctant sigh, she spun on her heel and glared at the door. Cursing herself, she pushed through the barrier keeping her away from the human female and headed down the hall.

And it was then she marvelled at the human vocal range.

It was ten doors down, three rights and a left that she came to the lab. Part of her wondered how hard the girl had to be screaming to be heard _this_ far away…

But, it was when she finally stepped into the cell that she saw it… and it caused a gasp to leave the base of her throat.

Blood covered the table. It was obvious that Tarantulas had been having far too much fun. Bruises, lacerations, cuts and open wounds blemished Caitlin's body. She had been stripped bare of her clothing – only rags covered what was left of her modesty; left only with the shackles binding her to the table, the skin beneath red and raw. Bright welts matched the circular cuffs where she had strained against them. Her breasts rose and fell with each uneasy, shuddering and low draws of breath she managed to take in. One glance at her face, and the she-spider knew that one of her eyes would never be the same again. Only one green-hazel eye stared weakly up at her, flashing back and forth in its confines. That suggested she wasn't seeing anything. It might be open, but that didn't meant she was awake… or even coherent.

She looked… weak and pathetic.

Something akin to pity arose from the femme-Predacon Spark chamber.

"What did he _do_ to you?" she whispered, lifting up one of her pincers to guide it down the girl's face. She received no reply, not that she expected it. She took the time to wonder what she could do. She was no medic. Her areas of expertise lay in her ability to create devices that helped out in the war. But what _could_ she do? Tarantulas would know someone had tampered with his… fun. But it wouldn't stop him either. She held no power here, in this regard. She didn't even know why she was _here_.

Stepping back, Blackarachnia felt awkward and out of place. She could practically feel the pain siphoning off the human's body – when suddenly a glowing light erupted from Caitlin's chest. Scattering back, the she-spider's optics widened as from that floating black, blue and red orb formed a black dragon with a bluish tail and spine. It turned red eyes upon her, curled its lip and snarled at the new threat. But, to her utter relief, it didn't attack as it turned to face the unconscious and very, very still body below it.

There was silence for a moment; and she took that moment to look at the dragon properly. The large head, similar to a velcioraptor shook from side to side. Its slender neck arched and she saw two deadly, twisting horns extended at an angle at the back of its head. It stood on four legs; its multi-toned blue leathery-feathered wings stretched wider than its own body. A slashing tail hissed through the air in agitation and then that head swivelled until it turned its gaze back on her.

She had only one thing to ask: "What are you?" and this was more to herself, than the strange creature prowling protectively Caitlin's prone body.

"I _am_ Caitlin," was the cryptic reply.

The she-spider blinked.

**_"What?!"_**

She just felt her processor crash… and darkness met her eagerly.

* * *

When Cheetor had appeared with the young panther cub, Optimus has been too surprised to say anything. However, now that the young thing had been fed and felt brave enough to wander safely through the halls: he was beginning to feel a migraine coming on. The ape sighed and rubbed between his eyes, looking upon the scene before him with a mixture of amusement and exasperation. Cheetor had been playing with Shadow, until the cub had somehow gotten a hold of one of his guns. It was still on safety-lock, thankfully. But none of them were about to risk such a dangerous weapon in the hold of such a young creature. The cheetah was trying to tackle the panther, but it was proving harder than Cheetor had anticipated.

Shadow was surprisingly hard to catch. No matter how hard Optimus, Rhinox or Cheetor tried – he kept slipping under them all; all the while keeping a hold of the gun.

When Dinobot entered upon the scene, he seriously considered just walking out – until he spotted exactly what Shadow was playing with. Unnoticed by his comrades, he sighed and then crept up behind the small thing. Before the cub had noticed him creeping up behind: Shadow was in his grasp and yowling his discomfort about being manhandled, once again. The raptor smirked in wicked amusement, staring down at the green eyes glaring up at him, "You're quite the stubborn creature."

Then Shadow hissed and did something completely unexpected. "No touch!" he demanded.

Dinobot's optic's widened in disbelief, but he somehow managed to keep a hold of the creature.

Cheetor was just as bewildered as he slowly reached down and grabbed his gun, his eyes on Shadow. "D-Di-Did Shadow just… _speak_?!"

Optimus opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before he good reply coherently. "I… believe so. I wonder why… and how?"

"Perhaps we should wait for Caitlin's return… before asking that question," Dinobot replied, curious as to why Shadow cocked his head at the mention of Caitlin.

Then, the cub's eyes flashed bright green. "Caitlin in trouble," he hissed and then turned his head to the centre of the room. "Sam and Gaia come to help!"

All mech's hardened their gaze upon the cub. But, before Rhinox could look at his eyes further, they went back to their normal emerald. Then – two humanoid forms burst in on them, where Shadow had been looking. Guns and one sword were whipped out. But, there was no shooting. The two newcomers carried no weapons, so they might not be there to harm them. But even with that hunch, they kept their weapons out until they were persuaded otherwise.

One humanoid was a bright yellow; the other a mix of blue and green. They were beautiful, but eerie in their alien humanoid forms.

Optimus slowly lowered his arm with a frown. "Who are you?"

They looked at each other, and then the yellow one bowed at him. "I… well, you can call me Sam. My true name is quite a mouthful," he gave a smile, but cleared his throat when his response was hostile silence. He gestured to his right and that form gave a formal bow as well, "And this is Gaia. We're here to help Caitlin."

Dinobot was not convinced, not even for a nano-byte. Trust in strangers was not his custom. He narrowed his optics, "Why would you be here to help that vexing human?" he demanded. His sword was held before him in a defensive-offensive stance. Unbeknownst to him, he held Shadow firmly against his chest. He didn't realise he was holding the cub so protectively – and it wouldn't cross his mind until a good while later.

The female humanoid smiled; and then asked him: "Why do _you_ wish to help her?" Dinobot froze as those ancient eyes bore deep down into his Spark. He was frozen in place as she approached and was even stiller as she laid a hand upon his forearm. Everything got quiet. No one, anyone and nobody ever laid a hand on the former-Predacon without his say so, and usually he only allowed it during battle – when it was unavoidable. Then Gaia stepped back and the raptor could finally breathe again. "In part, I am Caitlin's mother," she admitted to them. "I _feel_ her pain as if it were my own. I want to get her out of there as much as you do. However, we are not _meant_ to be here. If we are found, our punishment would be most… severe."

Sam turned to Optimus. "I am the one who took Caitlin from her home." Optimus blinked, having remembered Caitlin once mentioned a yellow alien had talked to her before she'd been sent to this time. He lowered his weapon as Sam continued, "And we came here to help her. Without permission, I might add. Like Gaia said… punishment for disobeying the rules of our kind can be severe – and final. But we are willing to risk it for Caitlin's sake."

Cheetor finally summoned the ability to speak. He cleared his throat and looked at the ape. "You know these guys?"

Optimus nodded into Sam's direction with a considering glance. "I know of Sam." Then Optimus turned to the blue-and-green humanoid woman with a thoughtful look. "Gaia, however…"

Sam was quick to explain. "Gaia was never introduced to Caitlin. She was the one who gave part of her genes to Caitlin, so she could survive the transition."

"Transition of what?" Dinobot growled, watching Gaia step away from him suspiciously.

Gaia turned her gaze to the rodent, who just appeared, before she explained. "Caitlin is a hybrid of our species. Her DNA is special in that regard because she now has more than one form. Your kind can shift between robot and animal. But, she is not restricted to two. You have seen her physical human form; but then there is her essence – her soul. It usually appears as a ball of light – no matter the colour. It can change to whatever shape it desires to be. However, Caitlin has the ability to change her physical form too, into: human… animal… plant… element… _robot_… But this can be done only when she lets go of what and who she thinks she is."

Dinobot was quick to ask: "Why doesn't she exhibit these features then?"

Gaia and Sam looked at each other, silently communicating. "Her physical form is all that you will see, for now. She is still bound by her own restrictions of herself. Once she let's go, she would be able to change her physical form. It is not something so easily done. A soul's idea of itself shows in its physical appearance. If the soul changes its idea, it can change. But this only under the most serious, dire and mysterious changes anyone can go through. And, if not done carefully, can become both permanent and… fatal."

"You keep saying physical form," Cheetor announced suddenly, trying not to think about anything fatal.

The two alien's tensed, but then Sam spoke – interrupting Gaia. And he was hostilely defensive. "We already told you."

"No! You didn't!" Cheetor retorted, standing onto his feet, eager to pounce.

Sensing the rising tension, Gaia gently placed a hand on Sam's chest to stop him – and turned to face the Maximals. Her expression and aura was gentle as she looked upon each of the mechs. She had to make sure they understood what she was going to say, and with a clear mind. Hostile emotions would distort her words. When she was sure she could continue, she took in a breath (not that she even needed to, it was an unconscious action she did when in this body). "For the moment, Caitlin has two forms – just as you robots do. She has a physical organic form and then her Spark, her soul – the essence that is Caitlin. Like some of your kind, her soul can survive for a time outside her body without dying. But, unlike you: her soul can take a shape so it can last for an indefinite time… but without a physical structure…"

"If her body dies… and her soul is outside of it," Sam tried to explain when Gaia couldn't continue, but find that he could not.

"She'll… die?" Optimus finished hesitantly.

Gaia thought for a moment, then shook her head. "If the physical structure that keeps the soul in place, dies: her soul WILL live on. But… the trauma of leaving that anchor will—"  
"—What we're trying to say is: if Caitlin '_dies'_… the repercussions will be severe!" Sam finally snapped.

"Severe **_how_**?!" Optimus demanded, his temper rising.

Gaia sighed. Explaining this was harder than she had thought. "Hybrids… between two species are never perfect. If Caitlin is to die; her soul would leave its anchor. But, if and when it happens: she could become something dangerous – something you'll have no choice but to destroy her. There is a possibility – a very strong one – that she can become a dangerous creature that many would kill to control. She was born with a physical body, but we were forced to cut the connection between soul and body. It was in this way she could survive our… procedures." Gaia stopped when she saw the anger in each and every mech's eyes. She held up her hand, "We took her onto our ship – which is ordered to kill anything that is not us, within its walls. It was either turning her into a Hybrid so we could give her abilities to survive what our Council had decided – or send her as a mere human who would die from the trauma of shifting through time and space. It is not a natural thing for a mere human, to deal with. She wouldn't have been able to cope."

Then, Cheetor narrowed his eyes. "She doesn't seem dangerous to me."

Sam sighed and everyone turned to him. His posture indicated something was on his shoulders, something heavy. He noticed the attention he had gained, and sighed again. But, he hadn't been able to help it. His mind had gone down the memory of reports he'd heard and what he'd seen with his own eyes. Caitlin's past…

"What is it?" Gaia asked, her eyes burning on him. "What do you know about Caitlin that I do not?"

Sam took a seat, which mean he hovered in mid air. He rubbed at his temples in an action similar to a human friend he'd made, and then admitted the secret kept from Gaia. "Caitlin's mental state… is not as you would think. We, they, she… was chosen because she was able to withstand everything she'd gone through – and act normally in society and managed to keep a firm grasp of what real life was. Oh, she broke. There is no doubt about that; but she managed to pull those pieces back together to function in society. It still amazes me she is able to, considering what she's been through. And still be able to smile and… interact with others the way she does."

The next question was asked almost fearfully… "What do you mean?"

"Caitlin has never functioned '_normally'_ in society. Oh, she knew its rules, its philosophies and the different social groups. She didn't go out of her way to break the law, but she's as flawed as the next person. She'd done her fair share of lying, cheating and stealing. But, she has never gone out of her way to do harm onto others. She could ponder the complexities of life and relationships and why they were there, for hours when she had company. But; the different social groups held very little meaning for her. She cared nothing for social groups, cared nothing for difference in nationality. She was… timid when she was younger, however."

Optimus blinked… "Caitlin? _Timid_? I find that hard to believe," he stated, remembering the fiery stubbornness of the girl.

Sam smiled sadly. "Her twin sister always had friends, but Caitlin was not as popular. And she preferred it that way. She was more reserved and preferred to read then to suffer other company. This does not mean she was anti-social; she just didn't connect with her peer group as well as her sister did. She was very suspicious of other people, and generally refrained from seeking people out to befriend them."

"Why would she do that?" Cheetor asked. He couldn't comprehend such a thing. After all, he was a very social person… wasn't everyone? Well, disregarding Dinobot… he thought.

Sam looked away. "Her biological father once attempted to kill her, and her twin. The trauma of that impacted her ability to trust other people. But it wasn't until her first step-father beat her up, her siblings up and her mother: did she really revert to a complete social recluse." Sam stopped and then looked back at the cat. "Caitlin found one of his guns, when he tried to strangle her mother to death: she shot him in the leg – hitting an artery without knowing it. Even at the young ager of seven: she took her mother and siblings and ran for it; and she didn't know until later that he'd died from blood loss. She was taken to court and it was deemed self-defense and to protect another life."

Rattrap blinked and remembered his first lesson with Caitlin…

_Flashback_

_"You gotta hold it like that, see? Much better," Rattrap said. Then, he suddenly realised how close he was to her. Very, very close. Since he was taller than her, he hovered over her smaller form, but did not over tower it like Dinobot or Optimus did. But, in this position: he could smell her delicious scent. Hastily, he moved away before he inhaled too much. "Now," he cleared his throat, "All you gotta do now… Is aim and fire."_

_She nodded and looked around. "What do I aim at?" Chuckling, he grasped her shoulders and gently, but firmly, turned her around. He showed her a small boulder, twenty metres away. Caitlin nodded and aimed… The rat made a bet with himself if she could hit it dead-centre first go, or shoot wide and hit something else. He watched with bated breath, her eyes aimed on the prize. With a single wink, she fired…. Shooting the rock clean in the dead-centre; the rest was blasted into different directions in a neat cloud of dust and smaller-sized pebbles. Rattrap's jaw dropped. Chuckling upon seeing it, Caitlin approached and placed a finger under his chin. Gently, she closed his jaw from him. "Better keep that closed… Else you'll trap flies."_

_Rattrap blinked, and seemed to grow heat under her hands. He tore himself away, exclaiming: "That was… amazing! You sure you never shot a gun before?"_

_Caitlin was quiet for a moment, then shook her head and handed him the gun. "Never." She kept her eyes on some point in the distance. _

_End of flashback_

_'She lied,'_ he thought, but he couldn't muster the emotion to be angry. In fact, he felt sorry for her…

But, Sam still had more to say. "Her next step-father starved her and her siblings whenever her mother was away for work; and practically neglected them unless their mother was there. But, then her mother found out and ended that relationship. But; because of the neglect and mental abuse: her twin began to become increasingly rebellious and unstable. She kept bringing drugs and men home. Her mother fell into depression. Caitlin took it upon herself to raise her younger siblings. She dressed them, fed them, helped them with their schoolwork, made sure they did their chores and were disciplined well and had time for fun. She became the mother of her family. She didn't mind it. Her family was her life, despite the restrictions it forced upon her. She developed no social life and worked odd hours to support her family."

Everyone blinked in astounded disbelief. Optimus couldn't belief she had done all that. "Why didn't anyone help her? Didn't she ask for help?"

Sam shrugged, "I do not know the specifics, but most of her family was considered… not suitable to look after them. She had even tried contacting most of them, but they had rebuffed her. The Agencies did manage to track down a long lost Aunt… who was old and uninterested in taking care of children. The only reason she agreed to take them all in – was because she was given a healthy sum of money from the government. So… Caitlin was left in charge as always and nothing had changed."

"But, that's not fair," Cheetor frowned sadly.

Sam looked at the younger life form with ancient, tired eyes, "Life is seldom fair, little one. Caitlin knew that from the start. She thought she could handle it, and she managed to do so… until the day she took her second-youngest brother to the park. Her oldest youngest brother took another brother with him to the pool. It was around that day that changed everything. First, her sister overdosed to kill herself..., which she found out after Alex… the second-youngest brother… ran off…"

At the mention of Alex, Dinobot's optics widened in realisation. Two memories hit him in the back of his processor, and hard.

The first memory was when Rattrap and Optimus had staged the rodent's 'betrayal'. Caitlin had hidden herself in the kitchen to eat or simply to be alone. And it was there, where Cheetor had found her. Dinobot had come across them two during their conversation. He had not exactly meant to eavesdrop, but he had done so anyway…

_"Yeah. You gave everyone a heart attack when you ran off like that."_

_ "I'll try not to make a habit of it," she assured that cat, her eyes shifting to the side. Cheetor, however, smiled. He spun around when he heard his name being called. He promised he'd join her later to play that chess game and bounded off. Caitlin watched his back. A sad, distant expression flitted over her face as she watched him leave. "He's a lot like Alex," she whispered. _

_"Who's Alex?" _

_Caitlin spun at the growling voice of Dinobot. "None of your business!" she snarled and made a move to budge past him. But, Dinobot simply caught her and easily held her captive, and still, in his grasp. Catching his optics, she glared into his eyes. Even without being pinned by his strength, she still wouldn't have backed down in the battle of wills. However, Dinobot caught a hidden emotion behind her defensive anger. Seeing it, he slowly released her from his grasp. Caitlin stumbled back into the wall, flinching in on herself. Then, she peaked at him, quickly ducked under his outstretched arms: and bolted down the hallway. The raptor was left to stare at her lack of presence, a pondering look on his normally had and angry face._

The second memory was when Cheetor and Caitlin had gone out on their own; whether to actively look for trouble, or had accidentally fallen into it: he wasn't sure. What he did know was that there was a… darkness to his human comrade that had… surprised him. Cheetor had been injured; and it had been Terrorsaur's doing. She had looked upon the Predacon's that had attacked them; and the rage he'd seen in her eyes had… mesmerized him.

**_"TERRORSAUR! HOW DARE YOU HARM MY LITTLE BROTHER! YOU'RE DEAD MEAT WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!_**_" Without warning or with as much as an alarm: an unfiltered rage blazed with her. It burnt its way through her blood vessels, into the very core of her DNA structure. She saw red as she shot forward. The scene around her became a blur as her vision torpedoed towards the Predacon that had dared hurt her little brother._

_Terrorsaur whipped around to face the new threw. But, upon seeing it: his spark leapt out of its holdings when he saw the enraged creature that had crawled up from the bottom of the Pits. He tried to move, but his commands went unheeded as he remained frozen in fear. "By the Inferno!" he gaped, optics wide and terrified—and then the demon was on top of him. Caitlin's hands were covered in liquid fire as she pounded at the Predacon's face without mercy. Then, just as suddenly as her attack: she stopped. But, he was hardly conscious by that time. The last thing he remembered was when she grabbed his leg in an iron grip—and used him like a hammer on the ground. Then, he felt the feeling of weightlessness when she finally threw him into the air: using the wind to propel him off into the horizon. _

But now… the words that she had said later resonated with astounding clarity:_ "__**NO ONE**__ messes with my family and get's away scot-free!"_

Sam noticed his thoughtful expression and nodded as his own expression turned grimmer. "Alex was run over by a car. Miraculously, however: he survived."

"I'm sensing a '_but'_ there," Optimus said slowly, hesitant to gain his unspoken question.

Sam seemed even more hesitant to continue. He glanced at Gaia – whose expression had turned ice-cold with maternal fury. She was infuriated, no, livid! That Sam had kept this from her. If she had known, she would have introduced herself when Caitlin had entered the ship: and told her that her brother was fine. All those who died: their spirits took form, unnoticed by the human eye – and it would drift to the skies, where Gaia would guide them to the place where all souls drifted to. What happened to them after that, not even she fully knew. Some, she did know were reborn as something or someone else – whatever they chose and wherever they desired to be. Even on a planet that supported a life-system that had never seen the light of day on Earth. There were many, many galaxies: and many more planets and living eco-systems. It was just a matter of choice.

But now… it was all irrelevant and far too late. And Caitlin might not believe what she said, anyway. She would not believe anything, until she had experienced it firsthand. Or, she might remain somewhat hopeful – but skeptical all the same. It was not in her nature to trust in the word of others. She had to see it for her for herself, before she would agree.

Sam cleared his throat and turned away from that glare – and Dinobot growled warningly. If the yellow humanoid persisted to stall: he was going to shove his sword straight through his—  
"Alex survived," Sam said quickly, as if sensing Dinobot's train of thought. "But not unscathed. He was severely injured. He fell into a coma for four months without change when she was turning sixteen that year. She pulled the plug on his birthday five months later…"

"She… _what_?!" Cheetor exclaimed, horrified.

"She took out the plug," Sam clarified. He stopped for a moment and then sighed heavily. "There was no hope left for him. He was nothing but a shell of his former self. He had thoughts or emotions; there was no hope of him returning to any sort of life. Caitlin knew this and couldn't stand to see him like that, and so…"

"She… ended his suffering," Rattrap whispered, shocked; unable to believe it as well.

Sam nodded sadly and then held up his fingers and then, checked to them off his list; "She has one sister, three surviving brothers. She killed one father; and pulled the plug on her second youngest brother. She believes that leaving her twin alone with her "_boyfriend_", she wouldn't have died. The memories of those she has lost are always on her mind. She feels immense guilt and believes she deserves a lot of pain – but there is also that knowledge that if she hadn't killed her step-father, her mother would have died. If she hadn't pulled the plug on Alex: he would have remained motionless semi-living corpse. She also knew, rationally; that it was her twin's own fault for overdosing – because her boyfriend was charged with manslaughter."

Silence followed.

Then, Optimus found his ability to speak. "She lived… through all that?"

Another silence followed, but then Shadow stood up and all mechs and humanoids turned to face the young creature. "Caitlin has strong will to survive. She saved her mother. She saved her brother from pain. Caitlin has not forgotten. They live on in her – forever!" he declared, his eyes glowing bright and clear. The Maximals and the two (unknown by the Maximals) Vok: couldn't say a word.

Instead, they stared at the young cub, as a light enveloped his chest – his eyes glowing.

* * *

Back at the Dark Syde, its atmosphere was still hot and heavy, but the air held its breath – and then Blackarachnia was twitching back online. Weary and disorientated, she groaned and pushed herself up. "What hit me?" she asked the only question she could. Her memory banks were a bit of a blur – like she'd experienced some kind of shock…

"The floor," a familiar, drawling voice came, which forced the femme to spin around as she tried to locate the source. "That met the back of your head… when you fainted."

The she-spider blinked, her optics finally registering the sight of a dragon. Then came the memory that it had claimed it was Caitlin. The predator seemed to smirk in amusement as Blackarachnia scurried backwards – and away from that red gaze. She chuckled deep in her throat – and it was that laughter, that really aggravated the she-spider into action. She did not tolerate being laughed at. "How can you be Caitlin?!" she hissed.

The dragon paused, its predatory eyes hooded in thought; then tried to explain. "This version of me… is your Spark, to my Soul – I believe."

Blackarachnia paused as the meaning of what she said, struck her. "That'd explain a few things, I suppose," she admitted slowly and folded her arms, narrowing her optics. Caitlin (okay, she'd finally admitted that the strange, dark and glowing dragon was the human!) cocked an eye ridge, waiting patiently as the spider recomposed herself. She was not disappointed, either, when Blackarachnia finally demanded an explanation, quite hostilely too. "_Why_ are you like this? And why _now_?!"

Caitlin paused, remembering the emotions that had waged war within her.

The agony she had endured by Tarantulas' hand; had broken bits and pieces of herself apart. She knew that she was at her most dangerous at this moment. She did not feel any empathy or compassion. If someone – right now – demanded that she kill, she would have done so. She felt her mouth water at the opportunity of violence, but she slammed that desire firmly deep inside her. It was hard, but she managed. The thought of the Maximals helped to ease the want to maim and kill.

But, then Caitlin realised she hadn't answered Blackarachnia's question. That completely distracted her from her thoughts of bloodlust – and brought a level of coherency above the raging roar. She dragged curled talons along the metal floor as she realised the truth. "I simply couldn't hold onto myself," she admitted and then leapt to her body. She ground her daggered teeth in silent fury as she saw with the damage that vile arachnid had done to her.

The she-spider had not expected that answer. She watched as the dragon scanned its body beneath her, startled by the insane fury that burnt in that eerie gaze. But, what she had said brought out her curious side that wanted to know the answer. It was a part of her that often got her into trouble, but it paid to have knowledge of what her fellow Predacon's were up to. It was how she stayed above the game. But, this side of Caitlin was… unpredictable. She would have to tread carefully. "What do you mean by that?"

Caitlin did not even look up, as she replied, quite blatantly: "It means that I am very close to dying." This time, she did look up and gave the she-spider a hooded look. "Seeing as you're the one with the 'eyes' that can scan living creatures… I wonder why you're asking the almost-dead person that's talking to you in a dragon form…" Blackarachnia hissed and went to throttle the dragon. She even made contact with it, which Caitlin obviously hadn't expected – since when her pincers came touched her; she was met with startling warmth. Caitlin blinked just as Blackarachnia paused, her pincers resting on the dragon's chest. Then, quicker than lightning, the _dragon_ abruptly leapt backwards; her breathing heavy and her red eyes flickering wildly. "Don't… do that again," she growled out, hunched over in both an effort to protect herself– and in preparation to pounce.

Startled, all that Blackarachnia could do was look down at her pincers as if she'd never seen them before. "You know," she said as a way to distract her from the situation of that shocking experience, "You have a lot of scars that are very old. On top of the new ones. Where did you get them?" The question was asked nonchalantly, as if the prospect of knowing Caitlin's passed, held very little interest to her. And it did. She didn't care what the human had gone through, but she'd come to know that if you hassle another about their private life; they often became angry and defensive. And when someone became angry – their clarity in reason lessened.

As she expected, Caitlin-Dragon froze. But, she hadn't counted on the honest but vague response. "These are scars from the past I can never forget – but they hardly compare to the ones upon my heart and soul." Blackarachnia frowned, but stayed silent, waiting for Caitlin to continue. But, that intense stare Caitlin shot her, made Blackarachnia distinctly uncomfortable. "If you cared for someone, and they were in a severe state: and everyone wanted to keep them alive in case they miraculously came back – would you pull the plug and let that someone die? Even if, the rest of your loved ones.., will hate you for all of time?"

Blackarachnia scoffed and pointed to her chest, and spoke in a bland tone: "_Predacon_."

Caitlin's dark, dragon eyes narrowed and glowed dangerously. "That _doesn't…_ change my question."

"What do you _want_ me to say?" she retorted, not understanding why this human was talking to her. She was the enemy, not her friend!

As if a switch had been flicked, all emotion blinked out of those eyes. In its place appeared a cool and analytical stare that tore straight through to her core-processor and seemed to download every single one of her weaknesses in the one go. It was very similar to the stare that Megatron would often give to his subordinates who'd said something that had stepped on his last nerve. And for one moment, Blackarachnia was fully convinced that Caitlin was about to attack – like the tyranno-tyrant.

Instead, Caitlin released a sigh and turned her back upon the spider. "Then your opinion is useless to me now." Blackarachnia bristled and was about to leave, when a sudden growl made her pause. Turning around, she faced Caitlin's dragon-soul-form. It stared right at her – no, _through_ her. So close, she felt the ghostly imprint; and was caught in that gaze as she spoke in an ominous tone that resonated uneasiness within the femme Predacon: "I'll be keeping an eye on you, Blackarachnia." Her eyes glowed, hooded. "_Very_ closely. After all: you were a Maximal before you were a Predacon… don't forget that."

Blackarachnia thought that sounded like a threat…. "Oh yeah? What's _your_ excuse?"

The dragon smirked, her sharp fangs adding something dangerous. "I'm human. I can go either which way I want. What about you?"

Later, Blackarachnia would refuse to admit that she ran away from that question – and that dragon. Her mind supplied her with something to focus on: she had to stay on duty!

In the absence of the femme, Caitlin frowned in the darkness. Why had see been willing to admit her past; even if it was only brushing the surface of it – To a Predacon at that! But, for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that her past had been openly discussed without her being there. Or, maybe she was just being paranoid. Her eyes narrowed at the thought, and then looked down at her… self. Would this be how she finally died for her sins? It seemed, fitting… in a way. However—'_What happened to my eye?!' _thedragon snarled as she saw the loss of one of her eyes and remembered some of the ramblings of the spider:

_"Let's see if we can give you some new body parts!"_

The dragon glowed brighter, than darker: as if echoing a heartbeat. Her lips pulled back in a silent snarl at the ghostly sensation of life. She didn't want to return, but-_what_ about Cheetor? Rhinox? Tigatron? Optimus? Rattrap? Dinobot? Her mother? Her brothers? Her sister? Her family? No, she couldn't allow herself to let go so… so… cowardly. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she suddenly died without, at least, knowing they were okay – and were going to be. No, she couldn't die full stop! No matter what she had done beforehand – no matter what anyone in her past said to her. Decided, Caitlin fought her sins and her past back into submission. She had already drowned and paid for them. Now, she will save the world and her family too! How? She didn't know. But, she'd figure it out! But first… she had to wait until Tarantulas had fixed her eye up.

Then, when she got the change: she was going to pull the fucking spider apart… into itty-bitty pieces!

_'Yes,'_ her dragon-self thought wickedly. _'Let's see how much of a man this spider actually is… _if_ he is one.'_

Her tail flicked back and forth in eagerness. Her senses were hotwired, electrified and anticipating. Her eyes were hooded as bloodlust shot fire through her veins. Tarantulas had better watch out… The darkest creature on Earth was about to be unleashed – its cage had been unlocked. May whatever God there be, have some sort of pity on the treacherous, Predacon tarantula.

Because Caitlin sure as **_HELL_** would not…


	16. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15: "Interesting indeed..."**_

It was well before dawn when the sun would fall over the land; spreading its golden glow to every inch of the ground it could read, and drawing night to a close. Flowers that had once sat drooped in the absence of the sun; now opened their faces with joy – growing taller as the golden orb, once again, opened its eye upon them and let them bask in the warmth. No, it was not that beautiful time of day yet. Instead, it was very well into the night. Some might say it was in the "_dead_" of the night, when emerald eyes blinked open – staring up at the six mechs that sat like silent and still sentries; dead to the world only because exhaustion had demanded it. The two humanoids, earlier, had been just as twitchy and restless – but even they had not been able to shelve their exhaustion. They were from a race called: the Vok – the creators of life on Earth. They were strewn haphazardly over the Control Console, just as dead to the world as the mechs.

Whiskers twitching, Shadow stood to his feet. He realised almost immediately that something big was about to happen later during the day – and he also knew that he wasn't going to witness it. How he knew this, he didn't know. His instincts told and warned him of many things; and they were never wrong. Wriggling his tail, he crouched down and leant back – stretching his front two paws out before pushing himself forward and leapt up onto the lap of the one named, Dinobot. He rubbed his cheek against the prone, motionless hand in an attempt to gain the attention of the mech. It was when he started making a rumbling purr in his chest – that optics blinked open as if coming out of a trance.

Dinobot frowned at the young cub. It took a nano-click for him to realise what the feline wanted. Scanning his comrades, he found they were all still asleep. Understandably, they were exhausted from thinking over everything could be, might be, most probably be going through. At the thought, he frowned deeper and the raptor stood to his feet. He bundled the young cub at the same time in the crook of his arm; and brought him to his quarters. There, he could freely indulge in entertaining the feline he felt inexplicably drawn to protect. He paused at the door as a thought crossed his mind.

_'It must be the influence of the Maximals', _he thought wryly. Then, he shook his head, snorting in derision_. 'Yes: __**them**__… or __**her**__.'_

Sighing heavily, he felt his anger drift away and placed Shadow beside him. This allowed the cub a free space to sit as the raptor drew himself back; propping his back against the wall. He propped on hand against the edge to steady himself suddenly; feeling his exhaustion all too clearly. His concern for the girl was worrying and… frustratingly understandable. He would not be quick to say he thought of her as a friend – Predacons did not have friends as a rule, but: he couldn't help but think of her as such.

For one, she knew almost as much as he did about Shakespeare… And he meant _almost_.

**_Flashback_**_:_

_It was afternoon; the sun was a burning orange disk in the sky. Caitlin had taken a short moment for a reprieve from her training lesson. Dinobot had allowed it only because she had succeeded in disarming him of his weapon. This was a feat neither of them had expected; but she had not been able to repeat the move since. This frustrated her and her rage had been controlling her – making it easier for him to defeat her. He told her to take a break, since her head was obviously not in the training session. She told him where to go, but thanked him and simply let herself fall to the ground with a resounding thud. Dinobot was surprised she hadn't hurt herself._

_While she was resting, Dinobot had retrieved his sword where he had rested it while he had dealt with her tantrum. It looked messy – and he needed to clean it. He sat down against one of the rocks near where Caitlin had collapsed – and grabbed his supplies from a hidden compartment, and got cleaning. He heard Caitlin shuffle around, but didn't look up from his work. It wasn't until he felt her elbow hit his arm, did he turn to glance at her. Whilst his concentration had been elsewhere, confident in the knowledge that he would notice any hostiles; he had not noticed that she had moved so close to him. _

_He asked her what she wanted, but he received no reply. _

_All he got – was her sleeping against his side,_

_He frowned, but allowed her to rest there until he had cleaned his weapon. Then he rose to his feet and poked her on the shoulder. _

_Startled awake, she growled. "Fuck off 'm sleepin!" And infuriatingly readjusted herself until her head rested against his lap. That would not do! He immediately stood and looked down at her whilst she glared blearily up at him. "You're a mean fucker," she said in a tone that wished endless amount of pain on him. "Has anyone told you that? Mean. Sadistic. Fucker."_

_He only smirked in reply and the gestured to the sky. "As you can see, it is night time. We must return to the base."_

_She grumbled and then slowly rose. She yawned and stretched and pinned him with her sleepy gaze. "Then let's get going." The trip was made in silence, until Caitlin started to talk again. Her voice remained on the precipice of sleep and awareness. "I need to keep myself awake, so I'm going to ask you a question. And I would like you to keep the conversation… or you're carrying me back." Dinobot rolled his eyes, but Caitlin only smiled. "Don't worry, it's not going to be anything personal. I've just noticed you've got a habit of speaking lines from Shakespeare. How about each of us say a line – and we both have to guess from which one it is from."_

_He grinned toothily. "Is this a game where one of us can lose? For, I do not believe that you have the capacity to remember them."_

_She turned to him with a glare. "I'll have you know that Shakespeare is one of my favourite things to read!" she informed him hotly. Then, a glint came in her eye – and before he knew it: his sword was in her possession. She leapt back immediately and held his weapon out before her. Her arm shook slightly under the strain of holding it, but she kept it up. Dinobot immediately stopped forward to reclaim it – but she had anticipated his intent and leapt back further. _

_Despite himself, Dinobot was caught between very-very annoyed and somewhat amused._

_She grinned at him. "Now… we can dance like this all night, Raptor – or you can play the game."_

_His optics gleamed evilly in the face of the challenge. "You cannot dance with me, human. I will always gain the upper hand and I have studied Shakespeare… extensively."_

_She raised her brow. "Oh, is that so?" she breathed with a grin. "Are you willing to make a wager on that?"_

_Dinobot eyed her curiously with a quiet air of disbelief. A bet? Against him? Anyone who'd ever betted against him… usually lost. True, most of his fights were of the physical kind, but he had long since learnt the art of verbal warfare – and he had a wide range of knowledge outside his Warrior Way. "I accept your wager."_

_She grinned and returned his sword to him, "Good. Let the games begin... Beasts before Beauty," she added, gesturing to him._

_He snorted at that, and then thought for a quote…. "To be, or not to be: that is the question."_

_She snorted and was quick to reply: "Hamlet. My turn... hmmm," she hummed and then smiled and turned to him. Her voice took on a different tune; more gentle and more musical. "I know a bank where the wild thyme grows, Where oxlips and the nodding violet grows, Quite over-canopied with luscious woodbine, With sweet musk-roses and with eglantine."_

_Dinobot was quick to reply as well: "A Midsummer's Night Dream…. Cry 'Havoc,' and let slip the dogs of war."_

_"Julius Caesar. Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall."_

_"Measure for Measure. Full fathom five thy father lies; Of his bones are coral made; Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade, But doth suffer a sea-change."_

_She blinked, then: "The Tempest. The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool."_

_"As you like it. To mourn a mischief that is past and gone is the next way to drawn new mischief on."_

_"Oh… I know this one: Othello! Look like the innocent flower, but the serpent under 't"_

_"Macbeth. If you prick us, do we not bleed? If you tickle us, do we not laugh? If you poison us, do we not die? And if you wrong us, shall we not revenge?"_

_She stopped… "Merchant of Venice," and sighed when she got it right. "All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays man parts."_

_"As you like it. Once more unto the beach, dear friends, once more, Or close the wall up with your English dead! In peace there 's nothing so becomes a man As modest stillness and humility; But when the blast of war blows in our ears, Then imitate the action of the tiger: Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood."_

_It took but a few moments, and Dinobot felt triumph surge through his fluids. Then, she sighed in defeat. "No idea. You win."_

_Dinobot grinned triumphantly. "It was King Henry V. _

_She shrugged, "Yes well… Fair is foul and foul is fair."_

_He cocked his brows at her, realising where the line was from. "You know Macbeth well."_

_She inclined her head. "It's one of my favourites." She looked up and then smiled at the sight of the Axalon. "And look at that: it seemed like no time at all has passed and we're already back. Am I genius or what?"_

_Dinobot snorted, "Air-headed yes, but not a genius."_

_She kicked his shin, "I shoulda forced ya to carry me, ya stinking iguana!"_

_Dinobot only chuckled in reply – to which her eyes widened, and then she smiled._

**_End of Flashback_**

Emerald green eyes blinked up at him, "You okay?"

He rubbed his clawed hand over his optics, glancing at the feline. "How are you able to speak, feline?"

Shadow blinked once more and cocked his head as his young mind considered the question. Finally, he shrugged. "I do not know. Maybe cos Caitlin is… special?"

Dinobot snorted in amusement. "In the words of Caitlin… she is VERY _special_!"

Shadow's eyes narrowed and hissed at the former-Predacon and turned his black-furred back onto him. Dinobot snorted again in amusement and stroked the cub's back. He noticed distantly that the panther practically fell into the hand. AHA! Bribing material! With a sigh, he ceased his movements and brought his arm across his chest. He rested his head back against the wall, staring seamlessly at the ceiling. Shadow was miffed that his pat was stopped so prematurely, but upon seeing the expression upon the mech's face; he allowed his displeasure to pass. He rubbed his cheek against Dinobot's hand, as if to tell the raptor that everything was going to be alright.

Dinobot never spoke, but he picked up the young cub and set him against his lap.

Shadow didn't say a thing, but curled up into a tight a ball as he could manage. He closed his eyes to await the dawn to show the world its light.

* * *

As dawn finally rose over the lazy volcano where the Dark Syde sat – a certain magenta-and-yellow Predacon spider stalked back into the torture chamber. Well: technically it was a lab. But in the hands of a Predacon: a lounge could be a lethal weapon at their disposal. Monologues about Predacon pride – were often considered one of the most annoying and boring speeches of all time. Not to mention; they sometimes revealed their plans while they were at it. So, perhaps it was a bit entertaining after all. But, getting off track…

Caitlin remained still laying, prone and motionless, upon the table. She hadn't appeared to have moved an inch. Tarantulas noted that the blood had stopped and the healing process had begun. It was working quicker than he had anticipated. Her health was moderate, and considering the extent of her injuries: he was thankful. And somewhat disappointed that she hadn't died on him yet. In his pincers, he held a round object the same size as a human eye. As the arachnid leant closer, it was obvious what he meant to do. He began to analyse her body if it would accept the new eye he had developed for her. Surprisingly, he'd done nothing more than make an invention that's sole purpose was to be: a 'simple' eye. However, it was red in colour and once he had lodged it inside – all he had left to do was persuade the nanobites to help connect the nerve endings, and merge the organic with the technical. It was standard simple procedure – when one knew what they were doing, and presto! Caitlin gained a new eye.

Tarantulas had always wanted to play with organic and technological matter – to see if it could be merged. And, from the looks of it: it appeared it was so.

Smirking triumphantly to himself, he turned his attention to her arms. They would have to go too! At least one of them, just in case this appendage didn't work the way he wished it. The possibilities of this procedure made him salivate as if he was getting ready for a meal. With a cackle, he pulled out a surgical knife – and then slicked through skin, flesh and bone until the arm was severed clean off; leaving the shoulder-joint intact. He needed something for the new arm to connect to, after all. Next, he pulled out the robotic arm and replaced it where Caitlin's right-arm had once been. He guided more nanobites to speed up the healing process – seeing as the bleeding she was doing, could very well cause her to die. He watched in morbid fascination as, right under his optics: organic tissue raced down to cover up the silver-metal arm from top to bottom. But there was a distinct difference in hue between the robotic arm – and the organic arm.

"Hmmm, interesting…" the spider mused out loud, his optics scanning the merging of organic and robotic.

"Interesting indeed," a vicious growl echoed.

Before Tarantulas could react – he was starting into a burning red optic and a fierce hazel eye. A snarl formed on Caitlin's lips as she tightened her hold upon the spider's neck and brought him closer.

Looking her up and down; he asked her one question: "How long have you been conscious?" he demanded. The grip she had on him was tight, relentless and painful. That meant she was using her right arm; and that the nanobites were working spectacularly. Her nervous system had been connected to allow her maneuverability in her arm. But, it was not a pleasant experience. "The pain should have caused you to cry out!"

A vicious, dark smile formed – warping that beautiful complexion into something that made the Predacon shudder. He was not used to being afraid of being lesser than himself, but the merciless gleam in her eyes promised pain a thousand times over. And if he had died, he had no doubt she would have flowing into the Pits of the Inferno itself – just to have a hand in his eternal torment. Her dark chuckle that followed his shudder – echoed along the corridor, humourless and fear-inspiring. Megatron would have to take notes…

"Pain is nothing but a dim thought that pales in comparison to what I ACHE to do," she growled, her single hazel eye flashing red. Tarantulas felt the arm holding him, burn hot to the touch. Then her grip tightened as she formed each word slowly; punctuating each word clearly for him to hear. And with a final snarl, she slammed him against the wall: "To YOU!"

For the first time since Tarantulas had laid optics upon this human: he felt a pinprick of fear of her – and what she might to do him.

As if in answer to his rising panic – flames began to form out of thin air, licking the bottom of his feet and trying to engulf him from above as the danced threateningly around him. His yellow optics started up at her – her right eye glowing blood red as the fire grew behind her; like wings rising to smite him down. Lights exploded up above where the fire touched – and with a shower of sparks, darkness fell.

But the fire continued to burn…

* * *

Outside of the Dark Syde, the Maximals were preparing to attack – unknowing of what was happening within its lower levels.

Sam and Gaia hesitated at the Maximal's side as Optimus gave the signal for the bomb to explode.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!"

"All Maximals… MAXIMISE!" Optimus roared over the explosion; and donning his battle mask – leapt into the fray of chaos.

Dinobot and Rattrap shared a glance. They stood to the side, waiting for the right moment to head inside – while the Predacons were busy.

* * *

Megatron had been humming a tuneless ditty; when the explosion caused him to fly out of his chair. His rubber-ducky bounced around like a ball whilst his emotions trapezied from that aura of calm – straight into the ladder of climbing up to epic proportions of: Pissed. Off. It took a few clicks for him to recompose himself, and once he had: he comm'd Scorponok. It was obviously clear that he was not happy. NOOOOO!

"What is it you require, Megatron?" the scorpion asked, ever-so-ready to aid his leader. He could sense how unhappy he was…

"Take Waspinator, Terrorsaur, Vincent and Blackarachnia – the Maximals are attacking the base!"

A fumbling noise replied him; and Megatron could just imagine the grey mech fumbling with one of his Cyberbees at the anger in his voice. "Yes sir!" the scorpion replied and Megatron cut the communication. Red optics took in the hazardous mess that was his quarters; he picked up the rubber ducky before he began to set his room back to a state of normality. He would have to check on the human female after he was finished with it. He wondered what that treacherous arachnid had done to her so far.

* * *

When Scorponok had appeared at her side, Blackarachnia knew that her day was about to get more interesting. She had long since calmed down from her conversation with the human-dragon… whatever she was: Maximal. She had fallen smoothly on her aft when the explosion rocked through the foundations of the ship she had come online in. Muttering under her breathe, she pushed herself to her feet and followed after the other Predacons. She forcibly cast thoughts of the strange human to the back of her mind. But, that didn't mean Caitlin's aura was so easily forgotten. That aura had been more frightening than Blackarachnia had given it credit to Caitlin's face. It had caused every fibre of her being to twitch in discomfort; and an uneasy feeling in her Spark to flicker haphazardly within her.

Casting her optics back towards where Caitlin was being held; the bad feeling that had been stirring ever since she laid optics on the strange human, grew stronger.

Beside her, a certain white-and-red mech was smirking at the unfocused look in the she-spider's optics. "What's the matter femme? Losing your head?"

Blackarachnia simply cocked an eyebrow, but couldn't reply as she started firing at the Maximals.

Fighting always put unnecessary thoughts to the back of her processor…

* * *

When Megatron appeared in the cell where he'd thrown Caitlin under the care of the mad scientist – he instantly became wary. Now, the Leader of the Predacons was never a bot to admit when someone – or something – scared him (it would be death to himself and worse: his reputation); but as he stepped through the doorway – a flicker of fear erupted within the core of his Spark. It was dark in the cell – and the smoky, acrid cent of smoke and burning chemicals; and the metallic scent of blood assaulted his senses. There were no lights, but the light from outside suggested that a fire had exploded inside…

At his feet – Caitlin lay unconscious and motionless.

Newly-made cuts and bruises littered almost every part of her organic flesh his optics fell upon. He was almost certain that there were more underneath what was left of her clothing. He turned his optics to find the spider – only for them to fall upon a single, charred arm. Feeling his Spark chamber grew cold; and not because he cared about the spider: but because of the sheer brutality that had been wrecked upon Tarantulas. Part of him was wary while another was taking notes of how this came to be. There was not a single hinge unhinged. From what he saw: someone had either crushed every limb and body part of the spider before or after tearing off the chosen limb. From the violence shown, he had a hunch that it was the former. What was worse: was that Tarantulas' head and chest, which held his Spark; were still intact. That meant Tarantulas had experienced each and every bit of pain – given he hadn't blacked out. However; what hadn't been torn off had been burnt until the colour that the spider had been – was unrecognisable.

Returning his attention to the unconscious human; a grudging respect for her as an enemy, grew.

Without another thought or care for the tarantula, Megatron lifted Caitlin into his arms and headed for the battle. He intended to use Caitlin to ensure the Maximal's surrender.

* * *

Rattrap and Dinobot treaded through the Dark Syde's halls, intending to find Caitlin and get out. This was primarily a search and rescue mission. And for once, Dinobot wasn't even complaining about it. Dinobot took them to the more-likely places that Caitlin would have been held. They found evidence of her being in one cell. Considering, it still held her scent…

"Well, she was here at one point," Rattrap muttered as he looked around – and then pointed out the obvious. "But she ain't here now."

Dinobot snorted through his noise with a silent: duh that was obvious behind it. He scratched his chin thoughtfully. He was thinking. That much Rattrap could tell from what he'd observed (not that he was really interested in the Pred, he just kept an eye on him; just in case!) over the time period he'd been forced to work alongside him. But – then Chopperface's optics widened. Before he could even comprehend it – Dinobot whipped around and marched back through the way they had come in.

Rattrap blinked at the suddenness of it all – gave a cry (a manly one!) protest and raced after the slagging saurian. "He-HEY! Wait up, Chopperface!" the rat hissed and hastened his steps. This sense of motion caused the shorter mech to speed up / just keep up with the raptor's longer strides. "Do ya know where Caitlin might be?"

Dinobot glanced at the rat, but didn't reply verbally. He gave a guttural reply of affirmation in his throat.

Rattrap frowned as he tried keeping up with the raptor, and his Spark flickered in worry.

_What had the blender-butt so worried?_

* * *

Optimus and the other Maximals were holding up well against the Predacons, who'd reached to the attack on their base – as one should.

Cheetor was locked in battle with Waspinator. The two were both fast-paced, and so they held out against each other in an impasse. At the current moment; the two were glaring at each other while they thought over their next move. Though, in their case: that was simply their impulse metre trying something out.

Tigatron fought with Blackarachnia. The she-spider still held that grudge the last time they'd fought (the case being his interruption of her invention below the Axalon). Tigatron didn't particularly like the spider anyways. Tigatron was currently ducking beneath Blackarachnia's leg-machines. And they were painful to deal with… he also had to watch for her venom attacks.

Rhinox was keeping Scorponok on his toes. Neither one had really any particular grudge against the other – other than the fact that one was a Maximal and the other was a Predacon. That was reason enough for Rhinox not to leave the scorpion standing once his Chain Guns of Ultimate Pain-Makers came into play. Scorponok… felt very much like he was about to get crushed…

This left Optimus in the air, keeping Terrorsaur occupied; which was pretty self explanatory in what was happening, really. It was almost a little too easy today, he thought: because he was able to notice a few things… Such as: the human Predacon, however, stood in the background. His arms were folded and he was blatantly ignoring the battle before him. Instead, the green-eyed human was staring at the Dark Syde – as if he could see through the walls. There was an intense expression on his face, a cross between sucking on a sour lemon and anger. And that Gaia and Sam, were also staring at the Predacon ship as if they had X-Ray vision (and hey! Maybe they do!) and wore varying expressions of anxiousness. Then, Gaia's form fluttered as if her concentration on the ship was interfering with her control over her form. And Sam was no better. His form flickered and vibrated like a blender.

Optimus had no time left to ponder upon this fact – He dodged the missiles the red-clad Predacon sent him. It appeared he was finally upping his game.

However, a thought flickered unbidden into the existence in the back of his processor…

_What if they were too late…?_


	17. Chapter 16

_**Chapter 16: "We..."**_

Dinobot and Rattrap stared at the sight before them. Their optics saw the truth, but their processers were unable to properly analyse it. And they tried denying the irrefutable truth that lay before them. Blood. Crimson. Scarlet. Ruby red blood. There was a lot of it. And it was drying upon the medical examination table – and they both knew who it belonged. It coldly spoke the truth. Rattrap, however, was astonished by how much blood a human could lose and remain alive.

That was, assuming, that she was still ali—_'Nah-uh, don' finish dat thought!' _he hissed to himself.

The rat was not by any means squeamish, but the sight before him – turned his stomach. "What did they do to her?" he whispered.

Dinobot was unable to answer. His red optics were trained upon the marks on the floor. Years as a warrior taught him how to read the evidence left behind in a battlefield. And this lab held the remnants of a fight. With Caitlin winning, it appeared to him. He could see her footsteps as they headed for the wall – where Tarantulas lay on the ground, unable to leave in his current state. And looking at the damage Caitlin had wrought upon him – and the charred remains of the room: he had no doubt that Caitlin had fallen exhaustion from using her abilities…

But… these larger tracks meant that someone had come to fetch Caitlin from the room.

And he knew _just_ who that person was…

He turned his optics to the rat, and growled. "Megatron has Caitlin."

Rattrap scoffed and folded his arms – thinking over what that meant. "And that means she's unconscious, but alive. Hopefully…" he muttered under his breath – eying a piece of the tarantula. He had to give it to the girl. He never wanted to get on her bad side. Her really-really bad side. It just looked… very, very painful.

Dinobot nodded. "Affirmative. Megatron will no doubt use her to gain an advantage over the Maximals."

"No kiddin'! I could'v told ya dat!" Rattrap retorted, quickly falling into the banter to hide his worry. It appeared Dinobutt was doing the same thing… because the raptor rolled his eyes at the impertinent rodent and hissed at him. But, then Dinobot turned on his heels and headed towards the entrance. Following him, Rattrap asked the only question that mattered to him at the moment. "So, how we gonna save Caitlin? Megatron has all da balls in his court now, ya know."

Dinobot glanced at the rodent, but he had no answer to give. Rattrap himself, couldn't answer his own question. He knew he'd been stretching his hope a bit too far.

He had been hoping that the raptor had some sort of plan to rescue the only female member of the Maximals.

A girl who was frustratingly and annoyingly: his friend.

* * *

The battle between Predacons and Maximals had ultimately ended up in an impasse – neither one gaining ground on the other; and neither could they retreat so easily. The Preds couldn't retreat without say-so from Megatron and the Maxis weren't going to leave Caitlin under their (and they use the term very, very loosely) tender care. They were currently staring each other down; their wounds needing some time to reboot before they could all go out again. Wounds littered their bodies; and they were all starting to feeling the effects of the Energon fields building up – hastened by their wounds.

Then: "SURRENDER, Maximals!" a charismatic voice suddenly boomed.

Both Maximal and Predacon fractions turned to face the source of the voice. Megatron stood in all his purple-and-green glory – with a very familiar body held against his chestplate: his fingers wrapped around her throat. Even from the distance between then: it was obvious that Caitlin was unconscious. Fresh wounds covered her body… made by surgical knives. The Maximals felt anger and fear in their Sparks. One particular Maximal was not feeling particularly calm. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO CAITLIN?!" Cheetor roared, but before he could charge and try to destroy the Predacon leader, Rhinox wrapped an arm around him to keep him from hurting himself. Or Caitlin.

Rhinox grunted, surprised by the ferocity of the young mech – especially as he tried to scratch his way out of his hold. "Calm down, Cheetor!"

Cheetor snarled, still trying to get free. "How can you be so calm? _Look_ what he did to her!"

"We can see, Cheetor! But, charging into battle isn't going to help the situation!" Optimus yelled, staring at the young mech over his shoulder, hoping that his message was understood. "We won't let anything else happen to her, Cheetor," he added softly. "We can't charge into this without thinking – we could end up hurting Caitlin more than she is already."

Seeing the truth of the ape's words, Cheetor subsided. But, it was very clear that at any moment he might charge anyway. He had more control though. Taking a breath, he nodded once to Optimus and looked up at Rhinox. "You can let me go now." Rhinox hummed disbelievingly, but promptly released the feline. Cheetor landed neatly on his feet, bud didn't charge. He settled for trying his hardest to burn Megatron into a burning metal crisp by sheer will, however.

Megatron smirked as Optimus turned to face him. "What do you want, Megatron?"

"You're surrender – transform into your Beast Modes and become my slaves!" Suddenly—Gaia and Sam appeared before Megatron in a bolt of lightning. Megatron's jaw dropped in surprise, uncomprehending what he was seeing before him. The rest of the Predacons, leapt in their surprise and their optics widened comically. Waspinator, in particular: had the best reaction. He screamed in a high pitch that rivalled Terrorsaur.

The two glowing humanoids swept their gaze over the Predacons; until landing on Megatron. They growled. "We do not think so."

Gaia stepped forward, eyes gleaming dangerously. She was not in a good mood. She could feel the dangerous situation that Megatron held in his arms. This was very, very bad. She had to get Caitlin back. NOW! She lifted her chin and spoke in a voice of a person who played: Judge, Jury and Executioner. "Megatron! You're crimes against my daughter demand that I end your Spark, here and now. But," she added in disgust, her facial features twisting as if she'd sucked on a particularly bitter lemon. "Unfortunately, I am unable to do so."

Megatron, however; had only one question. "_What_ are you?!"

Gaia spread out her arms as if to encompass the atmosphere. Everyone noticed how a forceful, icy-cold gale slapped into their sides. "I am the Mother of Life on this planet," she replied, and then growled. "Caitlin has more right to be here than you. Now release her!"

The t-rex, uncomprehending the powers of this being, sneered. "I don't think I will."

"You won't have a choice," Sam smiled coldly; yellow-orb eyes flashed demonically. The lava below began to bubble and boil. Heavy vibrations made the ground unsteady beneath their feet.

Deciding to add to the mounting panic, Gaia's eyes flashed a dark – almost black – blue. "I can bring forth a storm unlike any other. Your base will not survive it. I believe… you rather need your ship. Otherwise, you will not be able to hide from the Energon's influence. And you will be stuck as your Beast Forms, more than you would have preferred otherwise."

Megatron was about to sneer a reply, when he noticed that the wind had decided to pick up. Dangerously quickly. The burning sun was turning cold against his back. He turned around and blinked in astonished disbelief. Black and thunderous green-veined clouds were stampeding across the skies. Lightning flashed at three-second intervals and a rumbling, growling roar crashed onto the ground – causing it to vibrate heavily. Beneath them, the calm volcano, began to rumble more furiously. The ground began to shake.

The Predacons and Maximals started at the two humanoids before them – both uncomprehending the power they were presenting.

"Release Caitlin, Megatron!" a familiar snarl came from behind the tyrant; and everyone turned to face Dinobot and Rattrap who stepped onto the scene.

"Ya're fightin' somethin' ya shouldn' be messin' with!" Rattrap smirked.

Megatron looked closely at the two humanoids as it to memorise their exactly details, then stared down at the girl in his arms. He grinned. "You want the girl?" he asked, holding her in one arm. Her limp arms fell heavily at her side, her head lulled to one side. Completely unaware of her surroundings. Then Megatron sneered, "Then go get her!" – And with a simple heave, he threw Caitlin towards the edge of a sharp cliff – where at the bottom were razor-sharp rocks and boulders. However, his plan was thwarted – when he realised that Caitlin was now simply hovering between the Predacons and the cliff.

Megatron looked around, and found the blue-and-green humanoid with her arm outstretched, her palm facing the sky – fingers curled as if catching something. An expression of concentration, pushed her 'eyebrows' down to meet in the middle. Dinobot and Rattrap approached the others quickly, and Gaia turned to Dinobot as he stepped directly beneath Caitlin. "Open your arms, Dinobot," she said.

Dinobot did so, and with a sigh of relief – Caitlin's motionless form was placed in his arms. He took a moment to look down at her, assuring himself that she was still functional. Her head nestled safely in his elbow, and her chest resting over where his Spark chamber beat restlessly within him. He saw the rise and fall of his chest… she was alive.

"Let's go Maximals!" Optimus called out – and a rain of missiles followed after them as they retreated – with Sam and Gaia shielding them from behind.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" Megatron roared.

Oh, he was not happy. Nooo!

* * *

When the Maximals returned to the ship, Gaia and Sam hovered beside Dinobot. He had yet to relinquish his old on Caitlin. And – for a few _very_ good reasons!

**One:** Cheetor and her room: as a complete mess. And he'd more than likely trip over something despite his superior skills as a warrior – and drop and harm Caitlin.

**Two:** Rhinox had to have easy access to the girl; since he was the most knowledgeable in treating wounds – especially regarding the organic nature.

**Three:** Optimus had ordered that Caitlin was to stay within sight and within easy reach of everyone, should she need their help. He also didn't want to lose sight of her, again.

**Four:** Rattrap was out getting the girl some good and water – leaving the base relatively peaceful, for once.

**Five:** He was not about to let Tigatron anywhere near her. And he was not in any way shape of form, threatened by the friendship between Caitlin and the tiger! So don't even think it!

**Six:** Those strange humanoids – one who'd brought her to this war, and the other claiming to be her mother: he did not trust them. Though, he rarely trusted _anyone_ on principle!

**Seven:** This was the most uncomfortable to mention; and the most confusing – He couldn't bring himself to let her go…

A slight impression on his shin brought the raptor back to awareness. He looked down where emerald eyes blinked up at him. Shadow tilted his head with concern, "Caitlin… fine?"

"She has… survived," Dinobot replied. Shadow gave a feline grin – much like he'd caught the canary, and rubbed his head affectionately against Dinobot's leg. The raptor's lips pulled back at the contact, but he allowed it continue; though only the Inferno knows why! The rest of the Maximals shot him bewildered looks, but he ignored them. Instead, he opted for counting the time between each heart beat. She was warm in his hold. Soft and organic; she smelt of the forest and before-rain and some sort of smoky-wood scent he was not familiar with. But – she was not all soft and organic. Her right arm… it felt a bit heavier than her other arm…

Then, a shadow stepped into his light (not the panther cub). "Do you think Caitlin will be alright?" Cheetor asked; ever the present, lingering and watchful shadow since they'd gotten back.

It was Optimus who answered. "We can only wait and see, Cheetor," he said gently. He approach and grasped the feline's should in a conciliatory gesture. Though, whether to comfort Cheetor or himself, no one knew. But, in this case: did it really matter?

"She was tortured," Gaia whispered, placing a hand upon Caitlin's forehead. She could feel the damage that had happened. It was not good. Not good at all. And she realised something she had hoped hadn't occurred. But, it had. "Her soul left her body for a moment," she breathed, but then frowned and pulled away. "But she forced her way in. That takes a great deal of will power. But… it will take time for her consciousness to return."

"Or," Sam added solemnly, peeking over Gaia's shoulder. "She might stay on that boundary between life and death… for a very long time."

Gaia sighed and sat back into a chair. Well, it was more like she fell on it. "She may need some help to return…"

Cheetor's ears perked up at that and looked between the two strange humanoids. "Help?"

Optimus frowned in worry. "What do you mean?"

Sam opened his mouth to speak, but closed it. This happened a few more times before he found the right words to explain it. It was not an easy thing to describe. He stepped back until he faced all of them and folded his arms. "Humans are not creatures that can survive having their souls outside their bodies. It is only in death, where their souls finally leave its anchor. But," he added, holding up a finger and gestured to Caitlin, "Since she is a… hybrid, she can do this, but.., not without a few drawbacks and risks. One, being she may fall in a kind of coma, where, she can experience and feel everything around her, but _cannot_ wake. Another is where she's dead to the world, but her mind continues to dream. The worst one: could be where she dies inside, but for all intents and purposes: she's alive."

"Sam and I cannot do anything to help her," Gaia said, her blue hair covering her now-green orbs. She appeared to be making more of an effort to appear human.

"And why not?!" Rattrap snapped, appearing inside the Control room. He'd been listening in from the hallway, but as soon as he heard that: he decided to be an active part of the conversation. His gaze demanded an answer. His eyes glared at the raptor that had such a close and protective hold upon Caitlin.

Gaia blinked at him, then said: "There is something we can do, but it is forbidden."

Sam stepped around Gaia as Rattrap made a move to march towards her. "We're risking far too much as it is," he growled out firmly. "If we were to do the ritual that might bring her out of her current state… we would be Shadowed. That is the term our Council uses – for those who have been found guilty of disobeying their laws. And it is final." He looked down at Caitlin with a sad, longing look – then added, "But… you all can help her."

"How?!" the Maximals demanded at once.

"I don't think _all_ of them should help, Samaghopijkho," Gaia warned tersely. She did not so much as see the angry and hostile stares she was receiving from the Maximals – as she felt them. She turned to them and added bluntly: "What Sam is suggesting… risks what you Maximals call… a Spark Bond."

Silence.

Dead, grave and utter silence.

No… on second thought: a grave had more sound.

Cheetor looked back and forth between robot and alien, blank-eyed. "I don't get it," he said in a deadpan voice, looking at the other mechs – who'd all frozen stiff.

Unlike Cheetor; the rest of the mechs knew exactly what Gaia was saying. A Spark Bond was not a matter to be taken lightly. Nor was it something to rush into. Or decide impulsively. Most of the time – no one knew what would happen. Some mechs and femmes would search or ask for a Spark Bond. It was the human equivalent of a marriage. However – as the some of the cases turned out to be: they found themselves Bonded as brother and sister. Some mechs would also find themselves somehow Bonded as a married couple – much to the surprise of many. But… to form a Spark Bond with Caitlin – who may or may not have a chance of waking out of her current situation – wasn't something to choose so hastily…

"Ya kiddin, right?!" Rattrap squeaked nervously in the back of his throat.

Dinobot – and everyone else, glanced over at him, surprised to hear such nervousness from the cocky rodent.

Gaia shook her head, her expression solemn and serious. "No," she replied in a heavy tone. "I am not kidding, Rattrap. But it's up to you to decide if you're willing to help her. It will take only one of you to bring her back – I suggest you all decide amongst yourselves who'll be the one to do it." And in saying that, she stepped back and waited patiently.

Rhinox looked at every mech in the room. "But… who should do it?"

"Cheetor cannot," Optimus replied firmly, shaking his head.

Cheetor glared, "Why not, Big-bot?!"

Gaia decided to help the poor ape. She stepped forward and placed a hand on Cheetor's shoulder. The cat looked up at her with the eyes of a child. A teenager… in the midst of a war. Her heart broke whenever she saw it. She smiled gently at him, and then said; "Because you are too young, young one. You won't be able to handle what it requires and you might hurt her. And… you don't' want to hurt Caitlin, do you?"

His reply was instantaneous as he vehemently shook his head. "No!"

Gaia nodded and then stepped back whilst Sam looked over at the other mechs. "Then that leaves: Tigatron, Optimus, Rhinox, Rattrap, and Dinobot."

"I won't do it," Rhinox quickly said, waving his hands hurriedly. At the looks he received, he chuckled nervously and scratched his cheek. "I already have a Spark Bond."

The other Maximals blinked at the large-and green mech in surprise. "I didn' know dat!" Rattrap huffed indignantly. All of this time, and his friend hadn't mentioned it, at all!

Rhinox scratched the back of his neck and shot the rat a sheepish look. "My Spark Mate didn't want you to know about her. She wanted to surprise you…"

Rattrap scoffed, though his optics widened in surprise – and muttered curses under his breath.

"Well that leaves out two of us," Optimus sighed and turned to the tiger. "Tigatron?"

The tiger shook his head. "I want to help Caitlin, but I cannot do this. I am sorry."

Optimus sighed, but he could not get passed the feeling of 'wrongness' when he considered it. "I also cannot do this either."

"Then that… leaves Rattrap and Dinobot," Sam stated as the other mechs stepped back – but paused as they fully registered what he said…

Rattrap and Dinobot, however, had frozen. The raptor sat stock-still with Caitlin bundled against his side. The rat, stood like a statue on the other side of the table; staring into and at nothing in particular: as if finding a piece of wall a lot more interesting than the current situation. Then, Rattrap moved and looked at them, "How long do we have to decide this?" he asked, his tone nervous and shaky.

"Dawn – tomorrow – is when Gaia and I leave," Sam replied. "It is the longest we can stay. Decide before than or else Caitlin might never wake up."

* * *

When Rattrap and Dinobot had finally left; the events which went like this: Sam and Gaia left for the rat and raptor to decide out of the two of them, who'd Spark Bond with Caitlin.

Now, Caitlin was someone who'd somehow cracked through their individual defences, and became their friend. Whether or not this was intentional, neither knew. She did not go out of her way to socialise, but often seemed to find herself in situations where she _had_ to – or she was too damned bored and needed something to occupy herself. Mostly in the company of Cheetor – this was more like _listening_ _to_ the cat, than actually_ talking to_ him. She more often than not: didn't always appear interested, but she never turned him away. She always lent him her ear.

Now, Rattrap was by no means anti-social, but neither did he seek company outside of selfish interest. But, Caitlin had a dry, quirky and morbid sense of humour with a hint of a nature towards sexual innuendoes that he'd found surprising. She just hadn't seemed the kind of person who understood or told dirty jokes. But, not only could she understand them – she could also, given the right moment or thought process: throw out a pearler that left him breathless from laughter. Her sarcasm was not as noticeable, since her tone only varied when she wanted the other person to know just how stupid they were being or how annoyed she was with them or her situation. Something his wry, doom-and-gloom mentality found… interesting and a worthy verbal combatant in.

Now, Dinobot was not a social creature. He did not often desire company and neither did he seek it out. But, to give him credit: he was a former Predacon working alongside Maximals. No one understood him amongst the Maximals, and he preferred it like that. The norms amongst them were… strange. He did not feel the same as they towards their outlook on life. They were too trusting, too optimistic and too damned concerned about the creatures on this planet than the war.

And don't get him started on peace.

Caitlin seemed to be on the Maximal wavelength as well, but unlike the others: she did not condemn his views or try to change them. Instead, she would simply scoff at his ideas and promptly insert her own opinion and dare him to say his view on the matter. Only later, did he realise that she did this primarily to get a rise out of him and to get him talking. And it worked. Very easily. He was a proud warrior, and he lived for a battle in any shape or form. She may not ever be a match for him in terms of physical combat – but her mind and intuitiveness was razor sharp. She had insights he could not fathom – but she was a lot more insane than anyone gave her credit. He'd seen touches of her darker side. She had bouts of apathy and he'd often stumbled on her when she was in a dark mood. She always appeared easy-going and kind… but there was a part of her that was cold and unfeeling. He found it… an interesting contrast.

But… in saying that: the fact that both of these mechs with a sort of soft spot for Caitlin: surprised and bewildered the other mechs.

For one: it was Dinobot and Rattrap.

And, for two: IT WAS DINOBOT AND RATTRAP!

And BOTH mechs could form a Spark Bond with Caitlin to save her – IF they decided to do so.

There was ABSOLUTELY no pressure. No pressure at all…

…Right?

"Caitlin's heart beat is slowing below normal limits," Sentinel suddenly stated in the tense atmosphere.

Scratch that last squeak and statement. Okay: LOTS of pressure. LOTS AND LOTS of pressure!

In fact… you could bloody well _crush_ a ship with the amount of pressure suffocating this room!

Rhinox stared at the chamber where he had placed Caitlin's unconscious form. He was trying _not_ to think more on his thoughts. But it was difficult. The human had become like a favoured niece to him. She sometimes sought him for technological help (examples: the watch he gave her and her '_laptop'_ as she called it) and sometimes talked with him about the differences between robot and human. She was surprisingly philosophical every once in a while. He hadn't seen this when she'd first arrived. To be frank, she had avoided them all for while. He knew this was part of her adaptation to her new surroundings. This much he knew about the behaviours of other creatures. He had studied human psychology and behaviours when he'd been a younger bot. Their minds were not often open to new and alien and needed time to accustom to the change. Caitlin had appeared to accept her situation well. But, he had seen the obsessive need for order and cleanliness for the first few weeks of her arrival.

However, she had gotten used to her surroundings and she relaxed – and then she began to socialise.

He did not know whom she had bonded with first, but Rhinox definitely believed that it was Cheetor. He'd first seen the signs, once: when they had been outside. Cheetor had wanted to race, but Caitlin had told him that it'd be unfair. Considering he _was_ a cheetah – which was one of the fastest animals and she was only a human and couldn't run worth a damn! Instead, she had suggested a game of Hide and Seek. Cheetor hadn't known what it was. She'd dropped her jaw and then launched into the explanation with an eagerness that suggested she had always wanted to do it. From hearing it, Rhinox learned that the person, who was the seeker, had to close their eyes/optics and count to a hundred. The hider or hiders had to hide and the seeker than had to try and find them. Usually, she had added; there was more than two people playing. But, since of the circumstances, it would make it all the more challenging for both of them. Later, she had commented wryly to herself; that it might teach him a bit about the word: SILENCE!

He had first noticed the foundations of the bond with Optimus; when the two of them had come back from a stroll – with a fruit called: banana. Apparently, they'd stumbled across a banana tree. Caitlin had recognised the plant, and told him to bring it down. Of course, Optimus had been confused as he'd never encountered the fruit before. So, she had grinned and shown him that they could be eaten. But, not the green banana's because they weren't ripe. The yellow bananas were best. Optimus had agreed and it was his favourite thing to munch on. Even if she had mentioned he looked so much like an ape while he did it. Especially if he added in a few grunting sounds… Mostly the two respected each other, but each had their flaws that the other worried about. Optimus' willingness to sacrifice himself was the one that bothered Caitlin most, and Caitlin's ability to land herself in trouble was what bothered Optimus.

He had noticed the bond between Rattrap and Caitlin when the two of them played poker. If Rattrap had won: Caitlin would have to clean his room – a place she had deemed hazardous and nuclear, at best. If she had won, he would have to fashion her some daggers because she wanted some. However; no one had expected for Caitlin to have such a pokerface. She had been relentless, cunning and practically an evil magician at poker. And, the thing that had really earned her Rattrap's respect: she had bluffed and cheated the entire thing. Shortly after, she started to respond to his comments with quick and sharp responses. There was a sense of dark and sarcastic morbidity around her. She found the dark interesting and wasn't shy of the perverse as Rhinox had thought of her in her beginning. Which, of course: got Rattrap's attention and when she had won the battle of wits with Rattrap, and had received the daggers he'd handcrafted her for himself: their friendship had really hit it off from there. Though, Rattrap was at odds with her quirky side…

Her kinship with Tigatron wasn't as noticeable. But, she had saved his life. That always built a friendship and a bond that hadn't been there before. She found him easy to talk to, this much Rhinox knew. Since, the tiger wasn't an active part of the Axalon household, to Caitlin he was more like a distant cousin that sometimes dropped by – and you were always waiting for him to come around. Tigatron respected her choices and individuality; and offered her wisdom when she needed it or sought it (and more often than not: when she didn't want it – but needed it). She was also usually the one who kept him on top of the happenings inside the Axalon, whilst he was out in patrol in the mountains.

He had first noticed his own budding friendship with Caitlin, when she had stayed back with him once. She had stood by his side, awkward of what to do. Then, he had asked her for a hand in something he had been working on. She had nervously agreed, but it had quickly turned out that she had no idea what she was doing. In fact, she had even forewarned him, but he had not listened. He'd been trying to jumpstart some engines and needed her help. He hadn't thought to warn her not to let the two clips touch. But they did – and had been sent flying into him. From them on, he had learned about her biology and he started explaining to her about the technological things. She had retorted she was no IT specialist and she had a habit of breaking things—_technical_ things, rather than fixing them. And he had decided to teach her a few tricks so if someone ever needed some help; she'd know what NOT to do. But, she had never been eager to help ever since then: unless it required simply holding something up. They'd had most of their conversations that way…

However… it was her companionship with Dinobot that confused him. She was far too kind to survive the likes of Predacons, former or otherwise. But, she handled that raptor with an ease that said something about her he couldn't quite fathom. She had even, somehow, found him to be highly amusing. He'd asked her how she could find someone so stubborn and temperamental and _dangerous_, amusing. She had gotten quiet and then had said: "_There are many types of dangerous individuals. If I were forced to choose out of the individuals, who I'd rather pick to… dare I say; befriend – I'd rather the ones who use wit and physical means – than the types that hide behind smiles and act in shadow." _She had smiled grimly at his expression and gestured where Dinobot had returned with Rattrap, arguing once again. _"And besides… just from interacting with him or observing him: I can learn a few new barbs and descriptive, colourful language…. _That_ is why he is amusing to me. I can appreciate his sense of humour. After all…" _she had grinned roguishly whilst he had most probably stared at her with an incredulous expression_, "morbid attracts morbid. And the fact I get along with him, irks Rattrap as well… And a grouchy rat can really make my day sometimes…."_

Rhinox shook himself out of his thoughts. He stared at the chamber that held Caitlin's unconscious form.

"Those two had better decide soon," he said solemnly, glancing at the direction they had wandered off to after the bombshell had been dropped. "Or… she might not live or awaken at all."

Cheetor froze under that statement, feeling his Spark chamber turn cold. A gentle growl caught his attention; and shifting his optics downwards – he caught dark emerald eyes. They held a meaningful stare that got Cheetor curious. Quickly, the feline shifted to his Beast Mode and followed after Shadow. He lead him outside the ship, underneath the Control room. Intensely curious, Cheetor cocked his head. "Do you know anything about what's happening?"

Shadow's eyes were solemn as he nodded. "Caitlin's soul was let out. She forced her way back in. Let her powers go. Forced her into coma. She overused powers and soul." Cheetor nodded heavy with sadness. Shadow rubbed his head against the cheetah's front leg, and said; "Have… _faith_, Cheetor."

"But Caitlin might—"  
"—If that troublesome, irritable and emotional wench dares die – then she won't ever pass my test!" Dinobot suddenly roared. Two felines jumped and then glanced upwards where the raptor's voice had come from. He must be very angry, for them to hear him from all the way outside the ship. "Because I will kill her myself!" he continued to roar.

"Hey-hey-hey! Chopperface, can it, wouldja?!" Rattrap exclaimed, just as loud. "We don't wanna harm girly over there, anymore than she already is!"

The raptor snarled fiercely, "_Silence_, vermin!"

"ENOUGH!" Gaia's voice roared.

Shadow and Cheetor exchanged a look, and then cast a wary glance back up at where the voices were coming from…

* * *

Dinobot had left to think things over. His subconscious didn't even analyze the fact that no one was against a former-Predacon, Spark Bonding with the human female. His processor wasn't analyzing much at all, really. With a furious growl, he fell into his room; his warrior grace forgotten in the privacy of his quarters. He angled his level of gravity to fall haphazardly upon the chair before his desk, and clasped his finger before him. He rooted himself there for a moment, trying to calm the sensation of chaos within his normally controlled hard-wiring. Then, a familiar stench wafted through his senses, interrupting the whirlwind of his thoughts. He onlined his optics to find Rattrap hovering against the door-frame of the door; there was a look the raptor had never before seen on his face.

"Hey Chopperface," he cajoled pleasantly.

Dinobot narrowed his eyes, watching the rat enter his quarters uninvited, and plonk himself onto his berth. "What do you want, rodent?" he asked, after a few tense moments of silence.

Rattrap blinked over at him, and the raptor's optics narrowed further. "What… do… _I_… want?" the rat slowly, almost hesitantly. "Dat's a… dat's a _very_ good question, Dinobutt."

The raptor glared at the rodent but decided not to rise to the bait. He took the time to analyse the rat before him; wondering what could have affected him this way. There was only one answer that came to him: Caitlin. Ah, the root of this confusing ordeal. The small human who'd made a big impact on the entire group. He lent back in his chair, his servos digging into his desk as he narrowed his optics on the rat once more. "Do you wish to form a Bond between you and Caitlin?" he asked. Rattrap twitched – jumped, more like – in surprise at the bluntness of the question. Let it not be said that the raptor was not a: in-your-face sort of mech. Dinobot watched him fall into a haphazard explanation of denial, so suddenly; that it made no sense at all. Grabbing his head as a headache began to form, Dinobot snarled over the infuriating babble: "It is a simple question, rodent!"

"Oh yeah? And… what 'bout _you_, Chopperface?" he retorted, getting to his feet and slamming his fists onto the desk in front of him. "Are _you_ going to form the Bond between you and her?!"

Dinobot froze as the question was returned to him. Then – suddenly, Rattrap could only blink in surprise as the raptor stood and practically flew to the door. He hastily followed. And as such, they had heard what Sentinel had said. And Dinobot… lost his temper – "If that troublesome, irritable and emotional wench dares die – then she won't ever pass my test! Because I will kill her myself!" – And unintentionally gave Rattrap his answer. And the rat, didn't know what to do himself… He wanted to save Caitlin – but to make and form a Spark Bond? Was he cut out for that? There was a long, long list of why he wasn't… So, to distract himself, he tried to calm the raptor down (a rarity!) only to be snapped at by him, and Gaia.

Then, in the ending silence, Rattrap spun around to look at the chamber holding Caitlin. She was unconscious, knowing absolutely nothing about what was going on. He turned to face Cheetor, who'd finally appeared from below the ship – with Shadow at his side. The panther was trying to comfort him, but Rattrap noticed the cub cast worried glances at Caitlin every now and then. Rhinox was pacing near the chamber, but far enough to keep a certain distance. So, he wouldn't bump into anyone who wanted to look through the screen – to check up on her. Optimus was twiddling his thumbs, glancing hopelessly at the chamber. Tigatron became the shadow on the wall; unmoving, regretful bright green eyes forever looked upon that chamber.

…And Dinobot? The former-Pred looked ready to kill something. However, in those optics of his, warred emotions Rattrap had never noticed before.

He looked down at his own Spark, where it was hidden from view, and then back at the chamber where the girl lay.

Memories flashed, unbidden before his optics. Memories of him and Caitlin…

Suddenly, Shadow skidded across the floor. As if drawn by some unforeseeable force, both Rattrap and Dinobot's gaze turned to the face the cub. In Shadow's mouth, were two gifts a certain friend of theirs, had given them. The rat with the kanji for spy and a pendant carving with kanji for warrior – stood out from the dark grey of the ship, as they were dropped before their respective owners. Shadow looked up at them, tilting his head as his eyes glowed.

Sam and Gaia noticed, and blinked in surprise: but said not a word as they waited to see what the two mechs would do.

Together, in complete unison: they turned to face the two humanoids. Everyone in attendance, held their breath as they waited to hear what they would say…

"We…"


	18. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17: "**_**Him?**_** What about**__**me?!"**_

Vincent was in a state of awareness and unawareness. He felt a pounding headache wreck havoc inside of his skull, but ignored it in favour of staring down at the burnt, and scattered remains of the spider. He'd come down here to get something for his head, but had tripped over one of Tarantulas' limbs. He had yet to move where he had fallen; kneeling on all fours and starting into the spider's 'eyes'. It was quite the strange image – seeing the world spin around this one head, and unable to get back up because of the severity of his own head wound.

"What are you doing, looking at me like that, when you could be helping me fix my body?!" Tarantulas screeched.

Vincent, however, had other pressing matters. Like, how the hell did that magenta spider manage to speak? "Isn't your vocaliser… over there?" he asked, confused, pointing to the throat-box a bit to his left. Then came the _other_ pressing concern that came to his mind. "How are you able to speak, Ugly?"

"That is none of your concern, Human! Now… help me!"

Vincent smirked then as a wicked light bulb flickered to life above his head. Quid pro quo was the Predacon way of things. No one helped another unless there was some measure of a bargain. Sort of like: you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours – but with interest. "Oh?" he grinned, this time more coherently. "And what do I get out of helping you, Ta-ran-chuh-las?"

If Tarantulas had possessed the ability to raise his arms and throttle the human, he would have. He _really_ would have. And it would not have been his fault if his pincers had cut off his soft-tissue head! As it was, he was in a bit of a tangle and needed help. And he'd die before he allowed anyone ELSE see him like this. He'd never live it down and his reputation would be ruined. Optics narrowing, he saw no choice other than to acquiesce to the human's request. "What do you want?"

Vincent smirked, oozing smug triumph and leant closer. But, his features twisted into a threatening hooded stare that promised only pain. "If you go back on our little deal, spider… I'll do the same thing that Caitlin appeared to have done. Only… you won't survive."

Tarantulas was not unused to threats on his life. He was a Predacon after all, but he also didn't often simply let others bully him, but this was a… _unique_ situation. "Fine. What do you want?"

The human leant closer still – a gleam in his eyes the spider saw only in his '_Leaders'_ optics… and himself, on many an occasion.

* * *

Dinobot and Rattrap stood side by side, staring across at the other Maximals and two humanoids – waiting for them to react.

And waited a bit more… and a bit more… and a bit more again….

The rat and raptor glanced at each other, exchanged a rise-of-the-'eyebrows' look, and shrugged.

They thought back on what they had said, about an hour ago when they'd entered the Control Room – and said their decision…

They had said: "We will both do it."

At. The. Same. Time.

Sam and Gaia were surprised. Honestly, who wouldn't be? But, in their specific regard – it was for a different reason then say; the Maximals. In all of their lives; they'd never come across such a situation. Or maybe they had… considering the fact that many different circumstances could be startling similar to one another – even across universes; linear _or_ parallel. However, that still didn't stop them from being as surprised as their flabbergasted expressions showed…

Too bad no one was taking pictures, actually…

Optimus and Rhinox's jaws had dropped to the floor – their optics widening comically in their astonishment. Though, this type of astonished and bewildered disbelief was the kind that fucked with: '_This is how it is!"_ part of your brain subconscious. The part it was familiar with. Something that, if it is fucked with: causes a complete fuck-around and mind-rape that has your mind screaming_: 'WHAT THE __**FUCK**__ JUST HAPPENED?! THAT __**CAN'T**__ BE FUCKING RIGHT! __**THAT CAN'T**__ HAPPEN! __**NO WAY!**__ I __**REFUSE**__ TO ACCEPT IT! __**KILL IT! KILL IT**__! What do you __**mean**__ we can't just… __**kill it**__? We have to… __**tolerate**__ it? What the __**hell**__ is that shit?!'_

Rhinox was the first, who managed to kick his voice processor into gear. "Did I… just hear what I think I heard?"

Optimus blinked his optics over at the rhino – and it was clear he had no answer. His mind was still in the: _'What in the Matrix is happening here?'_

Tigatron appeared to be having some sort of aneurism where he sat – but the strangest part about it: he didn't move at all. At least, not his deadpanned facial expression…

Cheetor was simply a bit lost and confused by the entire ordeal, and turned to look at Shadow. He frowned when he realised the panther was sniggering, as if he'd expected it. There was too much of a smug cat with a bowel of cream going on there, for the cub to be innocent of anything. "Did you know?" Cheetor whispered in a hiss, leaning closer.

Shadow's eyes glowed a brighter green, but didn't reply to his question. Instead, he gestured to the table. "Can you put me on the table?" Cheetor's optics narrowed, but he did as he was asked. When the cub stood on all fours again, he looked up at Dinobot and Rattrap. There was an air about him; as if he was the Judge, Jury and Executioner. "Are you sure?" he asked them. The raptor and rat nodded, not trusting themselves to speak; and with a satisfied nod, Shadow turned to face Gaia and Sam, bowing.

That action confused the others, but Gaia was speaking. Her expression was still surprised, however. "Then… let us begin. I cannot begin to wonder the possibilities of what could happen."

Sam nodded in agreement, staring at both mechs before him with an indecipherable look. "We have to do this outside, near some crystals."

"Why crystals?" Optimus asked, having just succeeded in recomposing himself.

Sam and Gaia shared a glance and just smiled, "That is not for one such as you to know." Rhinox pulled out a map of the surrounding Energon deposits they had found. He rifled through them until he had found the closest one and showed it to them. Once Gaia had the coordinates, she turned to Sam. "I will meet you there. I must heal what can be healed, and I must do this before the Spark Bonding."

Sam nodded and watched as Gaia left with Caitlin in her arms. Outside the ship's parameters, he knew she'd shift to her orb form, which would enable her to get to the destination easier. Walking was so… mundane, he had found. Realising then, that the Maximals were about to follow after them; he pulled them to a halt. "All of you expect Shadow, Rattrap and Dinobot, should stay behind," he said. They didn't need everyone seeing the procedure. And if there was one thing he'd learned about humans by his stay: some did not like to have an audience watching them at their most vulnerable…

Cheetor, however; did not appear to like this statement. "Why?!" he demanded, looking fully prepared to fight his way out.

Sam sighed. To think he had to leave a few teens behind, to deal with another one. He had come to find teenagers exhausting. "I have no patience for teens…. Why did he have to be a teen?" he hissed to himself, and then tensed as if suddenly realising he had company. He sighed again, heavily and explained: "You cannot come. It is a private procedure. We don't want anything to happen to any of you, from whatever backlash of what could happen. It is for your safety as much as it is for Caitlin's."

Cheetor made a move as if to complain, but Optimus nodded. "Come on, Cheetor. You can clean up your room, so Caitlin can rest later."

The feline sighed, but nodded and disappeared into his room. "Thank you Optimus," Sam said with a short bow and then gestured to the rat and raptor. "Dinobot, Rattrap. Come with me!"

Before anyone could move, however, a scratching caught everyone's attention. "Can I get help down?" Shadow asked, sitting precariously upon the edge of the table.

Sam picked up the small cub and carried him down the lift where Dinobot and Rattrap waited. "So," Sam drawled, heading to their destination.

"So!" Rattrap snapped. He folded his arms, optics glaring and just daring for him to say something negative.

Dinobot was looking at Sam with complete distrust, and Sam nodded in resigned approval. Caitlin's future Spark Bonds would do very well for her. Well, in regards to the rat: he was very worried. But, the worry that the rat felt about Caitlin was genuine_. Annoyingly genuine._ So, he knew that he could absolutely, positively trust Rattrap's word. Sam had found nothing in that rat's heart that doubted its care for Caitlin. Oh, it doubted about a whole line of other things, but it was true to its care for her. And while he would just _love_ not to talk to the bastards who might become a brother, a friend, a father, a mate to her: he had to say something. "If you have feelings for Caitlin, she's going to know about them after this, if you succeed at the Bond. If she has feelings for either one of you – or both of you – you're going to know it," Sam drawled before looking over his shoulder and casting them a hawk-like stare. "But, I have a feeling you already know that."

Rattrap nodded. "I know it," he said, almost as if it were a cursed feeling.

Dinobot wondered about the emotion behind that voice, until he realised that Sam was looking at him. The humanoid, however, looked away just as quickly. Optics narrowing on the humanoid, he wondered how he fit into all of this. "So, what is your place… in all of this?" the raptor asked as Sam finally released Shadow.

Shadow bounded off into the distance as Sam paused at the question – but then continued on. "What do you mean?"

The raptor's optics narrowed to a glare upon Sam, tempted to laser him. "Who are you to Caitlin?" he demanded, only _just_ stopping himself from firing up his lasers on the waste of space.

Sam stopped completely (and they'd been so close to the end of the trail too!) and folded his arms. "I am nothing of consequence to her. Nothing at all…"

This time, it was the rat who narrowed his optics suspiciously on the alien. "You sound as if ya wish for more."

Sam's expression hardened. Before the rat could react, he found himself being lifted a few metres in the air. A demonic-yellow glare aimed down at him with the intensity of an inferno. "I care for her!" he snapped, flares of energy just burning and crackling in the air – forming a halo of righteous fury around him. "I watched her go through things, you're sordid existence couldn't dream of! The good and the bad! And if you hurt her!" he snarled, shaking the rat in his grasp, "I will make your life a living misery! There is a reason why I was called SunEater!"

"Get in line!" Dinobot scoffed, succeeding in grabbing the humanoid away from Rattrap – and holding him in a grip that was, perhaps, a little stronger than necessary.

But, still Sam tried to throttle the rat. Because he had dared to poke his tongue at him!

"SAM!" Gaia appeared like a wraith in thin air. All three males turned to her, still locked in their position before her voice had frozen them. The female alien was the vision of pure anger. She looked at Sam with a deadly expression that succeeded in defusing Sam's rage. "She was never yours to begin with, Samaghopihkjho! _Do not_ make threats that you cannot keep. You are forbidden to interfere…" She stopped and her expression softened. Her eyes were too wise and too understanding. "And you know what will happen if you revert to your status as SunEater…"

"Yes, I know," Sam muttered angrily, his anger still thrumming through him. He knew it all. There was a reason Thor, the current leader of their ship – kept a tight leash on him; and had chosen him to look for a human to instigate into this war with the Kov. He gave the older light a hooded look, "And I am forbidden to take my chosen mate as well… as you are."

"Ya love her, don't cha?" Rattrap asked, silently taking notes to memories those few points…

"Is that obvious, you smelling sack of dead cats rotting in the garbage?!" Sam retorted, his powers humming through his being. Anger had been his greatest power – and his most dangerous weakness… But, to calm down when the soul that you love, but can never be yours was about to be Bonded with another: is a hard thing to do and remain calm about.

Rattrap raised his arms in surrender, and left the yellow humanoid alone. He did not know what he was fully capable of and, he wasn't willing to find out. He noticed Gaia was gesturing for them to come towards her, her face now a solemn mask. Dinobot was already standing before her. He seemed to be making an effort to keep his optics on the blue-and-green humanoid. He wondered why…

Gaia waited for the mech to come to her, but her aura suggested that he be quick about it.

When Rattrap finally gathers his nerve, he hopped up on top of the boulder – and he realised _why_ Dinobot wasn't looking down at all.

Caitlin lay prone upon a large segment of crystal – Naked. There was practically nothing to cover her. He could see every inch of her heavily scarred skin. New and old scars crisscrossed over her flesh, but the surgical incisions were the most prominent, and raw – and the rat and raptor knew just how to blame for those! But, looking upon her, he found the differences and similarities between femme's and females… _interesting_, for lack of a better word. She had the same basic shape: but there were no outer hinges keeping everything together. He knew humans were organic and carbon-based life forms. When they bled, it was red blood. He didn't know if he found her appealing in a sexual way – but her alien (to him) origins… he could see the beauty she held for others of her own kind. She had a firm body from her training and basically a new diet.

As that '_diet'_ thought crossed her mind, he remembered that Caitlin often had repeat daydreams where she would ignore everyone and say: "Leave me alone… I'm dreaming of a river of chocolate. So unless you have something that's sweet or have something sweet to say to me or about me – piss off!" When anyone asked her what chocolate was: she would give them a deadpan look, and say: "Oh, woe is to the deprived and ignorant. I would explain it to you, but I'd just make myself hungry. And the Pred's are a bitch!"

Why she added the last bit, he'd never know. But it may have something to do with the fact that, she was not allowed to go outside as often on her own.

Because of the Predacons, obviously; and any other dangerous predator animals that lurked in the area…

Her skin looked smooth where it was not marred by her scars. She could be considered dainty – but there was a tough edge to her, that stopped others from referring to her as such. As a bot who enjoyed the seedy bars where femme's walked around minus their breast-plate, he could see why human's might find Caitlin's appealing. They weren't small, but not too large. Easily fitted into a hand… but bots didn't have such things: so he didn't see the appeal. No, her appeal to him was her wit and her smiles…

But then, he was brought back to awareness when he realised that Gaia was blocking his view of her. "So many scars for one so young," she whispered sadly; and then turned to the silent mechs. "You will have to bear your Sparks. I will coax Caitlin's soul out, but we must act quickly once it is. It will rise above her chest. Sam and I will guide your Sparks, to hers."

The two mechs nodded and sat themselves down beside Caitlin's unconscious body. Sam approached them, his arms spread out that than the two mechs thought could be possible. They watched in mute surprise as he easily pushed them down, despite their instinctive struggling. They turned to see what Gaia was doing – only to find that the female humanoids was now a glowing blue-and-green orb. For some reason: that made her all the more alien…

"By the Matrix!" Rattrap breathed as a ball of clear-liquid light – light blue with flashes of blood red and veins of black tendrils: burst out of Caitlin's chest, near her heart. She and the glowing, pulsating sphere rose into the air – and the two mechs felt a sense of weightlessness – then lost consciousness; their last sight being Shadow's orbs watching over the procedure.

Once the two mechs were unconscious, Sam reached down to their Spark Chambers. He needed to grab their Sparks, if this had any sort of chance of working. "This has never been attempted before, Gaia," Sam said worriedly as he held the Sparks of the rat and the raptor in his hands. Gaia pulsated in agreement; and Caitlin's orb began to spin faster, pulsating wildly as if she was about to shoot free. She would have, if it wasn't for the fact that the Energon crystals acted as a sort of anchor for her soul. It helped her tied within one spot. He looked closer at the Sparks of the mechs. It would be so easy to crush them and let him have Caitlin for himself, but Gaia was right. He had no right to her. Besides, Vok were forbidden to consort with other creatures – unless it was in research or creation. And even then, there were far too many guidelines. But in this case: it was a rare case indeed, for three souls to be tied together. "Three souls connected, and," he added, sensing something connecting Caitlin to the panther as he guided the two Sparks towards Caitlin's soul, "it seems Caitlin has formed a Bond with Shadow."

"The bond is much like a Mother and Child," Gaia's voice came as if from nowhere; her true form budged the smaller soul towards the two Sparks.

But while gravity pulled her to the two Sparks, indecision kept her from going closer. "Caitlin is turning out to be a rather interesting anomaly," Sam mused as he and Gaia gave the final push. Light flashed brightly between the three souls – and it grew bright and brighter until finally: a violent shockwave sent the two Voc back a few feet.

Once the shockwave had receded and she'd recomposed herself, Gaia transformed to her humanoid form. "Vincent is also a mysterious anomaly," she mused, looking around for the young cub. She could have sword he'd been standing right… there!

"He perplexes you, doesn't he?" Sam asked, dusting his distinctly human, but bright yellow-and-glowing form off.

She nodded, "He does. He has all the qualities that the Kov want for the one they wanted to send back in time; to aid the Predacons to win. But, he has done very little to achieve it. I just wonder if he has a secret agenda," she added with a glance towards the Predacon base.

Sam shot her a look, "Everyone has an agenda," he scoffed and looked down at the rat and raptor. They were still unconscious; but their Sparks had returned to their Spark Chambers.

Then, the sun blinked out of existence. But, Gaia's glowing form acted like an impromptu flashlight in the darkness. Which, she was thankful for, because finding something coloured black in complete and utter darkness, was kind of difficult without some sort of light. The object of her concern was: "Shadow? Where are you?!"

"I am here," Shadow replied.

The two turned around – only to find a larger and so much like a cub, standing where Shadow's voice had stood out in the darkness.

Then: "What in the name of my Great Aunt Arcee, happened to Shadow?!" Rattrap exclaimed, staring at the larger-than-he-was Shadow, having returned to consciousness.

Dinobot also made an appearance, holding a hand against his forehead as the world spun around him. He looked back, reaching down as a hand grasped his…

"Him?!" a familiar, grouchy voice asked. "What about me? I've gotta migraine upon a migraine, and it feels like 15 elephan' ballerina's are dancin' on ma head with swinin' mallets for trunks!"

* * *

Vincent was a very happy human male Predacon…. And why was he so happy? Why, he'd just gotten himself a few nanobites that would help him heal. He'd gotten the idea after seeing that most of Caitlin's wounds had been healed, which could've only happened with the nanobites. And a thing about nanobites was that: once they were inside of you, they operated solely and exclusively only for you. At least, that was the case with the Predacon nanobites. Trust was a very-very-very often non-existent occurrence amongst Predacons. So; each and every and all nanobites were made to function and operate for only one individual. So not even Tarantulas could override them!

Already he could feel his concussion healing – along with his past injuries. Yes… he was a very happy human male Predacon. A very happy one, indeed.

Tarantulas, however, was feeling as lucky. Poor bastard…

"VINCENT!" the familiar angry yell of the spider echoed along the halls of the Dark Syde – and yet no one answered him. Well; the person he was angry at, didn't reply.

Listening to the resounding echo, Vincent chuckled to himself and went along his merry way.

Terrorsaur and Waspinator shared a glace as the human Predacon came skipping past them, whistling a tuneless ditty.

The wasp summed the situation up, very nicely. "Waspinator doesn't want to know…"

And for once, Terrorsaur agreed with his fellow flier. But he would never admit it. Not even if Waspinator was tortured!

* * *

Cheetor couldn't hold onto his tension any longer.

He had cleaned his room a room Caitlin had cleared out, intending to use as hers, but never got round to officially moving in there. She kept saying that she was going to change rooms, if only to be rid of his excessive babbling. But, by the end of the day, she was curled up on his berth beside him. Cheetor had often gone to sleep without her there, only to find her there in the morning, curled into his side. She would mumble: "No… alone… hurt… must…" or _something_ under her breath and latch onto him. He never asked her. Well, he did try once, but she had gone very quiet and had avoided him. To keep himself occupied; he tried playing solitaire, tried his hand at poker, but nothing could stop the worry for Caitlin. But; that memory wasn't helping him any.

Optimus and Rhinox were doing no better. They were playing a game of chess – though they didn't seem to be paying much attention. Neither one was wining and neither one was losing. They hadn't even begun playing the actual game. Instead, they fingered the board as if to remind everyone that they were, in fact, alive. Tigatron, himself, was staring into the distance; as if the wall held all the secrets in the universe – all there for him to find it. It was just a matter of concentration.

Finally, Cheetor exploded… "When are they going to get here?!"

Optimus sighed, though inwardly grateful for the distraction from the heavy silence. "We don't know, Cheetor. And yelling about it, isn't going to help us."

"But she—!"  
"—_Will be fine_!"

Cheetor closed his mouth. He knew where Optimus was coming from, okay. He knew. He just couldn't stand this silent tension of uncertainty. He didn't know whether she was alive or not, or even if they would all survive the Spark Bonding (though in the case of Dinobot… he could live with that). He didn't see the big deal about it. But, he guessed that it was something pretty hardcore, if Rattrap seemed so wary to do it.

Sighing, the feline fell into his chair and fiddled with the keyboard for something to do – when suddenly: "WATCH HER HEAD!" a familiar voice yelled.

All four mechs instantly snapped their faces to the lifts. It was moving. Anticipation rushed through them, they gripped anything hard surface they could find and fixed their optic solely on the lift. Then, the doors opened: and from it came a very familiar black feline… only bigger. "Shadow?" Cheetor asked, instantly noticing the younger cub was now just as tall as his shoulder.

Shadow bared his teeth at his fellow feline, and turned to face the lift as Dinobot and Rattrap appeared. "Be gentle!" he warned. "She's still sore!"

"I'll show you who's sore!" a familiar voice growled; and she was obviously not happy. Held against a certain raptor's chest – was an irritable Caitlin. Other than her sour expression as if she'd been forced to chew on a lemon, she looked fine. Her wounds had healed, though thin and white scars remained; the only evidence of her ordeal amongst the Predacons – other than her sole red eye…

"It worked?" Optimus asked, relieved, smiling happily.

She growled, her one red eye twitching as if resisting the urge to kill or severely main something. Dinobot, as if feeling her ire, warily glanced down at her. Gently, and slowly, he released her to the ground. He leapt quickly to the side, just as a fist came flying to his chest – only to form a dent in the wall instead. The resulting CLANG echoed a bit, before Caitlin sneered and turned back to face the ape. "If '_it worked'_ means I'm now Spark-Mated/Bonded to two of the most fucking slagging-saurian, garbage-spewing bastards of existence," she growled, voice growing louder with each word – only to end in a hissing whisper, "Then _yes_!"

Dinobot and Rattrap shivered as they remembered the past hour…

Caitlin had been most aggressive when she had finally realised what the mechs and humanoids, had explained to her. She had been most displeased. She was happy she wasn't dead, she made that perfectly clear. But, she hadn't taken the whole: _'Spark-Mated/Bonded'_ part of the saving of her, very well. After she'd gotten redressed in some spare clothes Gaia had provided her, she'd been sorely embarrassed that the two mechs had seen her in such a state. She was not someone who liked to be seen as weak. This, of course, made her aggressively defensive; which also made her a lot more temperamental.

Though, considering all she'd gone through: it was understandable.

Then… everyone finally understood what she'd just said. Optimus' jaw dropped, "Hold on…" he said, holding up his hands as if to halt everything. "You're Spark-Mated to _both_ of them?"

At any other time, Caitlin would have laughed. But, since this wasn't a laughing matter, in her opinion, she was sorely tempted to send a wave of hot flames throughout the Axalon. And, because of the reminder, she snapped. "Didn't I just say that, Banana-brain?!" she snarled, stomping her right leg in rage. "First thing I find out when I wake up; is that I'm alive and **naked**! The next thing I find is Sam and this… woman," she hissed, pointing behind her where they'd left the two humanoids, "Gaia, who came to help save me! Then," she added with a mad glint in her eyes, "I find out I've somehow become a mother to Shadow, and accelerated his growth—AND I'M SPARK-MATED WITH THESE TWO SON'S OF A GLITCH!"

"Would ya rather be dead?!" Rattrap bit out, grabbing her by the elbow in anger.

Caitlin lashed out and Rattrap went flying into the wall. Fire sparked in her hands as a tense hush fell over them. For a few moments, all that could be heard was her heavy breathing as she glared at Rattrap, who looked up at her in silence. Then… the fire extinguished and she slumped as her anger took a step back. She peered at him through her hair, which had come undone, and stared at the rat, then: "No," she breathed. "No, I would not rather be dead." She stepped forward and suddenly her aura went dark as if someone had flicked a switch. "But couldn't at least ONE OF YOU DECIDED? Why did BOTH OF YOU DECIDE to be my Spark-Mate?!" she cried out, almost pained. "I can't handle this! I'm eighteen, turning nineteen-for shit-sake! I don't want a _relationship_ – but now that I'm Spark-Mated… It's practically an irreversible betrothal that can never be taken back!"

"Would ya rather we proposed?" Rattrap shot at her snidely, hackles risen. He was hurt by her response and his defence was to lash out.

Understanding his intention to hurt her – and that she had hurt him – she glared at him and scoffed. "_Hardly_. I ain't the marrying type, _rodent_!" She snarled, then sighed, and stepped back a bit and looked away from him. "I get what you did, and… I thank you for it. But… I'm gonna need some time to fucking adjust. Let's not also forget… that I was TORTURED BY TARANTULAS!" Caitlin paused then, her expression thoughtful. "True, I was unconscious for most of it—or that's what it seemed like. But-what does it matter? It's not like he has my right arm or eye, or anything…"

The rat could only state one thing as he looked at her warily… "Girl, you are two kinds of crazy."

"_Only_ two?" she asked with a frown, and then shrugged as she remembered something. "I was in a Mental Institution for a while," she added flippantly like it was an everyday occurrence. Then she turned away from Rattrap's '_What-the?'_ expression and Dinobot's _'That explains a lot'_; and turned to face Optimus. "So?" she drawled with a quirk of her brow. "Anything new happen while I was unconscious, and almost died – and would have died if the rat and raptor, hadn't Spark-Mated/Bonded with me?"

The base was silent.

She nodded as if she had been given a reply. "I'm going to assume you launched an attack on the base, but took your time to go about it – so you wouldn't harm me any further. Too bad it didn't work out that way… Then Gaia and Sam came around to hasten this would-be rescue and I ended up getting Spark-Mated to a rat and raptor; and Spark-Bonded with a son who is a panther…"

Silence fell again.

A deadpan expression crossed Caitlin's face as a thought crossed her mind. "You know, if my life was a story, I wonder what the mental stability of the person writing it, would be like…"

The mechs and panther shook their heads – although in some small part of their minds, they too, wondered…

But, for the moment: they were glad to have her back.


	19. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18: "Victory"**_

It had been three weeks since… the _incident_ – and Caitlin was nowhere near adjusting to her current situation. She was becoming increasingly aggressive; more than usual. A single comment could relight the fuse and she'd explode. And two certain particular mechs had to avoid her for the rest of the day until she cooled off. Or risk having her use them as targeting practise – or everyone's more personal _favourite_: her temper would impact the environment. Optimus had made the mistake of pissing her off when she'd been near his collection of plants. Long story short: they needed new plants. And there was no doubt in anyone's mind: that if she was in a stormy mood, the thunder clouds followed her: even inside.

Despite her saying she'd get used to her new… situation, it was clear she did not feel very comfortable in it. She avoided Rattrap and Dinobot when she wasn't in a mood. And spent more and more time outdoors until the Maximals had to hunt her down; and usually it was Dinobot. That fact had not made her desire returning home any time soon. Then Caitlin had learnt how they had kept finding her… Rhinox had inserted a tracking device on the watch he'd made for her. And since finding that out, she'd taken to leaving it at the ship when she ran off. And now… all they could do was wait for her to return. And when she did; it was in the dead of night or she had returned to help them against skirmishes against the Predacons. And even when she helped, she would disappear again…

Shadow, however (and on a more positive note) had learnt well during those three weeks. He'd gotten used to his bigger, stronger body. And Rhinox had said he'd grow bigger yet. For the past few days, Shadow had taken to following Cheetor out on patrols. When he wasn't with the cheetah, he was with Dinobot, Rattrap or Caitlin – or he could be found taking trips through the place he had once called home; often finding Tigatron at times to speak with him.

Dinobot and Rattrap had explained to the other Maximals that they had both, surprisingly, become Caitlin's Spark-Mates. Caitlin hadn't wanted to explain or even talk about the fact she'd gone from happily single to betrothed and practically married overnight. The rat and raptor had learned they could feel ghostly impressions of her moods and emotions. And, if they concentrated hard enough, and if she forgot to keep her mind closed off from them: they could catch a few strands of her thoughts.

And, from what Rhinox had learned when he'd managed to scan Caitlin biology, and especially in her brain waves: she had taken on board a few personality characteristics from both Dinobot and Rattrap. He came to know this because he scanned the two of them as well. Not that this had been an easy thing to do. Dinobot had hated it, and the rhino had only managed to get him to do it – by going to Optimus. He'd bribed Rattrap into doing it, but offering to take some of his monitor duties.

From Dinobot, Caitlin received a berserker rage and a lust for battle. Well, it was more evident than before. Caitlin had also had a liking for conflict. Just, not as bloody… much.

From Rattrap, Caitlin received a more… sneaky cunning mind. It appeared she'd siphoned into the rat's ability of stealth and dirty fighting. Not that she hadn't played dirty to begin with…

So, with the two of those combined together: Caitlin was able to remain elusive whenever she disappeared from the Axalon – and survive on her own.

Her new eye and arm were working perfectly. Rhinox had explained and reassured them about the nanobites that now inhabited Caitlin's body. The nanobites worked like super-evolved cells and quickened her ability to heal. The rhino though that, in the future and maybe: it could be possible for Caitlin to control the nanobites with her mind. An example would be; that she could transform her robotic arm into anything she wished: the limit being only her imagination – and the functions of the nanobites.

Dinobot had added on top of that; that Predacon-born nanobites adapted to their hosts needs and desires. So, they had no fear of Predacon tampering.

She though it all well and good, but she preferred not being a cyborg, thank you, very much! Also, on top of the fact that she was now officially married to two mechs; and… she'd also gained a son. How? She had no idea. She didn't even want to think about it, if she was honest – but perhaps the fact that she was a Hybrid of Alien and Human DNA; it wasn't really that difficult of an occurrence. Especially since those aliens were the creators of life on Earth.

Growling from where she crouched in a flawless balance on a thick branch, Caitlin blinked her red eye a few times. She was still adjusting to the fact her right eye could zoom in and out; and detect heat signatures of Maximal, Predacon and animal alike. She held up her right hand, still finding it difficult to believe that it had been brutally cut off before Tarantulas had replaced it with a prosthetic, robotic limb. It functioned just as well her original arm – maybe even better. That arm was officially stronger than her left; and it was not prone to breaking or bruising. She just had to get used to the fact that there was no actual warmth there. Unless it had been lying about in the sun – or had been on top of something really hot. There was only a later of 'skin' that covered the arm to protect it from the Energon fields, or rust. She didn't know whether, with her being an organic creature and all; that Energon could or would affect her like it did the other Maximal and Predacons…

"And I thought my life was messed up before," she muttered, clenching her right fist. She blinked at the electrical hum that was similar to when the Maximal's moved around their limbs.

She was going to have to get used to that…

Sighing, she cast her red eye upwards, wryly musing that she was now a red-eyed Mad-Eye Moody impersonator from Harry Potter. As a small bird flew past her spot high in the tree, she figured that she might as well make the most of her new limbs. The sun was high in the sky, signalling that lunch was at hand. That meant she was going to have to return very soon. Her food was at the Axalon, after all. Her stomach grumbled in protest at the thought. She stood up, balanced for a moment then leapt into the air – using the wind to slow her descent until she touched the ground. The touch-down was still a little rocky, but she'd gotten better.

Casting a cursory glance around her, she set off. She'd been hiding in a part of a jungle, where it was easy to hide in – and get lost in. She'd been making it a ritual to traverse the undergrowth to avoid the two mechs who were now her Spark-Mates. Sometimes, they'd find her. Other times, they wouldn't have much like. She never hid in the same place twice. She had learnt not to. So, she was becoming very familiar with the terrain. She remembered her survival lessons with the raptor… it appeared only now, had she learnt what he had meant.

Had anyone asked her before, if she could survive in the wilderness alone, before the Beast Wars: she would have said no.

Now, however… she could say yes.

It took very little time, but she finally approached the Axalon. She hesitated at the sight of it for a moment, but her growling stomach made the decision for her. Gritting her teeth, she figured she might as well go up there and face the music. If she didn't do it now, she was going to be stuck in her avoidance of the rat and raptor forever. And, she'd be hard pressed to ever return. Besides… she was missing having someone to talk to.

Squaring her shoulders, she marched towards the lift like a man—_woman_ on a mission.

* * *

Once she appeared up the lift, she was startled to find the Maximals gathered around a screen. It showed the uncomfortably familiar inside of the Dark Syde – like some vid-cam from Big Brother. Something was happening. And whatever it was appeared… _serious_. Frowning thoughtfully, she quietly approached and strayed behind the Maximals. She kept her eyes on the screen to see exactly what had caught all the mech's attentive to it. So attentive in fact… that even Dinobot or Rattrap didn't notice her sneaking up on them.

'_Whoa_!' was her only thought as she saw a clearer image.

"…You've wasted our precious Energon for the last time, Megatron!" Terrorsaur screeched, looking quite pissed off. Well and truly!

"Whoa!" Cheetor exclaimed. "Bad karma at the loser lair!"

"Waspinator wants to fight now!" the wasp buzzed angrily, hands balled into his fists as he stomped angrily. He looked ready to tear off heads. Caitlin was quite shocked by the sheer aggressiveness in the wasps' tone. Wasn't the wasp a little more.., easy-going and what not? Oh well – he _was_ a Predacon, after all. Hell: Dinobot was an aggressive berserker… and he was on the _good_ side of the war.

Dinobot, who had a bit more knowledge of his former comrades – looked quite intrigued by the wasps' reaction as well. "It appears… _serious_, this time."

"You will regret this rebellion, Terrorsaur! Yes!" Megatron growled, pointing his tyranno-head-hand at his conspirators (which happened to be almost his entire crew).

"That's deception, alright," Optimus said, leaning forward as if that would help him get a better look on what was happening.

"Cool!" Cheetor exclaimed, and turned his upper body towards Rattrap and Rhinox to where they were standing and sitting to the side, respectively. "Now, aren't you glad we got cable?"

"It looks like we hot-wired that spy camera just in time," Rhinox said, turning on his chair to face them…

_'Hey… since when did they go back to the Pred base and insert cameras?'_ Caitlin thought, narrowing her eyes.

"_We_?" Rattrap asked in a tone of abject disbelief. "It was my fuzzy butt on the line out there!"

"Shh! Look!" Optimus hushed the rat in an urgent tone, turning back to the screen.

_'Interesting proceedings,'_ Caitlin mused as she and the Maximals watched Megatron retreat behind a large container of Energon crystals, which were being shot at.

"No! You fools!" Megatron exclaimed as he seemed to notice exactly what his crew were actually shooting at (and what he had decided to use as a shield) was. "You'll hit the Energon!"

….

Fuzzy screen…

Static…

Shocked silence…

A large tremble shook the Axalon's frame and everyone held onto something to balance themselves. But Caitlin was the epitome of stillness. She blinked. No way the war was over… Was it? It couldn't be! Wouldn't the Vok had told her? What was the point in sending someone back in time, if the war was going to be over so… shortly? It you looked at it realistically, no: they wouldn't. At least, she didn't think so. But, it'd probably be best not to say anything. Just in case. She was not a believer in good luck. Bad luck came in plenty. By the dozen, even. The good luck came only for balance and to make you anxious of what the next lot of bad luck will be. For, for every time something goes your way and you're finally happy: the shitty stuff hits the fan and ruins you're clothes before you can go out and celebrate. But, that usually didn't stop her from washing off the whiskey bottle and chugging that shit down, anyways.

Cos if you're fucked, you might as well be so drunk that you won't even remember it.

It was a good thing she never got hangovers…

"Whoa!" Cheetor breathed out suddenly after it had clicked on after a few minutes of looking at static. He turned to face the two behind him – only for his optics to fall upon a familiar face. "CAITLIN!" he exclaimed and barged past Optimus and Dinobot, embracing Caitlin tightly. Her feet weren't even touching the ground – and her ribs were starting to protest! "You're back!"

Caitlin gasped, trying to breathe under the force of the hug. She could have sworn she felt a rib crack. "Cheetor," she managed to choke out. "CAN'T BREATHE!"

The cat promptly dropped her, chucking nervously. His eyes blinked down at her sheepishly and full of apology. "Sorry Caitlin."

She rubbed her chest where she'd fallen and glared up at him. "Next time you wanna squeeze the life outta me, wait until I'm either choking, or drownin."

Cheetor frowned, but then noticed the teasing glint in her eyes and shook his head. He'd never know when she was being sarcastic…

However, Caitlin's attention turned to the ape. His arms were folded and he faced her, eye-ridge cocked questionably. He held an air about him that suggested that he was a father dealing with a rebellious teenage girl. And the tone of his voice matched that to a T. "How long have you been standing there?"

Caitlin bristled at that look. She had never received it. The men in her life who had served as her '_father figures'_ had never bothered to do so. Nor had they particularly cared to do it. After she had pulled the plug on her brother, she had gotten that look finally. But it had been from the judge who had declared her as mentally unstable and sent to a Mental Institution. There, she spent a few months but they deemed her well enough to function in society. But, she had to come in for sessions every seven days…

And '_that look'_ was all she received when they learned she had yet to do much with her life.

But, she had been asked a question. "How longs' a piece of tripwire?" she retorted, shrugging as she stretched to her feet. Her eyes remained hooded and hostile. She wasn't in any mood to be told what to do and to be given a lecture on things like '_safety'_ and '_we're doing this for your own good'_. She would not be responsible for what she did if he lectured her about it either.

Optimus sighed, realising that look for what it was. It had been there for a while since she had been Spark-Mated to Rattrap and Dinobot. He was still surprised that it had happened, but some part of him hadn't been all that surprised as well. It had almost expected it. He could see the two of them in her, but she was her own person with her own set of problems. She disliked authority, but she did as she was told, mostly. But that didn't mean she liked it. He sighed again and decided not to comment on where she had been. "Did you see what happened?"

"…Mutiny. Explosion. Static. At the Predacon base. Yeah," she drawled with unwarranted snark, "I saw."

Optimus' optics narrowed at her attitude, but said nothing in response. However, the rat narrowed his eyes on his Spark-Mate. "Ya're not gonna run off again, are ya?"

Slowly, she swivelled her head to face him, her brow cocking. Then she turned on her heel and stalked towards the lift. "So, we checking out the Pred base, or what?"

The Maximals glanced at each other for a moment before they followed.

* * *

The trip was silent until they came to a stop upon a rock cliff. It overlooked the smoking remains of the Dark Syde, which had somehow remained mostly intact. Caitlin crouched precariously close to the edge, assessing the damage. She didn't know whether to be relieved, or justified, that the Predacons had been blown into itty-bitty pieces. But, the feeling was hollow, unknown and… empty. Wasn't she supposed to feel happy that the Predacons were gone? Shouldn't she be feeling triumph? But she wasn't. Why did she feel so empty? Perhaps she had wanted to be the one to offline the bastards one by one. Slowly … painfully … personally … well, two particular Predacons in particular. Not that completely decapitating the entire Predacon crew was not without its own rewards…

"That place looks like… totally slagged," Cheetor stated slowly, disbelievingly as he turned to face the others. His eyes were as wide as saucers.

"It is," Rhinox replied with a thoughtful frown at his scanning device. "I detect no signs of life. Not a Predacon signature anywhere…"

Dinobot leant forward slightly, looking slightly out of place as his eyes scanned the surrounding area sceptically. "Can that be confirmed?"

"HEY!" Rattrap scoffed at the raptor, getting into his face. "His sensors don't like, Dino-Dip!"

Caitlin's eyes flashed in annoyance, her gritting her teeth as a sudden silence fell. Then, Optimus spoke up. "Then we're going to have to accept an unexpected development, my friends," he said. He looked down at the smoking heap of wreckage below them, scarcely believing it himself. "It looks like the Maximals have won the Beast Wars."

'That easily?' Caitlin scoffed in her head, reserving her judgement from the others. _'I doubt it. We'll get bitten in the butt yet, I'd wager.'_  
Another part of her shook her head, slightly amused. _'Our pessimism is ever growing.'_  
Growling, she hissed._ 'Quiet you! I didn't ask for your opinion!'_  
_'No use telling me. __**I **_**am****_ you_**_!'_

Snorting to herself, Caitlin sprang from the edge – she landed neatly on her feet below as Optimus gave the give-go to search the ship to confirm further.

Inside the Dark Syde was even worse compared to the outside.

Caitlin stalked around the edges, casting her singular red-eyed gaze at the rubble and debris left behind in the explosion – leaving no signs of life.

"No life forms," Rhinox said, holding up his energy-signature detector. His eyes were as serious as his no-nonsense voice. "The base Energon field-dampeners are still functional."

"Good," Optimus said at his side – and then a sudden loud sound caused the ape to spin about, his instincts screaming.

However, it had only been Rattrap. He had picked up a pole – and was swinging it around as if it was a sword. He looked positively thrilled at the prospect of returning home. And the fact that all the Predacons bar Dinobot – were dead. "_Alright_! Let's pillage and plunder!" he exclaimed, swinging the pole flexibly in his hands.

"_Only_ for space-drive parts," Optimus replied – his gaze stern and his tone firm. There would be no if, buts or maybes. "_It is_ a Predacon ship, and still very dangerous."

_'You're preaching to the choir, bro,'_ Caitlin snorted, folding her arms. She refused to look around too much. She'd seen enough of this shade of black and grey to last her a lifetime.

"Yeah?" Rattrap asked. "So, then eh… What say we let old Chopperface go first?"

Unable to help herself, Caitlin chuckled to herself as Rattrap froze suddenly. After mindlessly swinging the pole and his comment – he had hit Dinobot's thigh. _Very_ close to a certain part of the anatomy that, if he had been human: would have been cause enough for the raptor to tear into the rat – and perhaps _apart_. Instead, Dinobot hardly reacted. He looked… troubled and out of balance. "Yes, that would be logical," he growled out lightly as he grabbed the pole from Rattrap. "I will… take point." He threw the pole away and stalked off – leaving Rattrap there to stare after him, open mouthed.

"Man!" Rattrap exclaimed when he didn't get the response he wanted. "I'm pushing all of his hot buttons, and I'm getting _nada_! What's with 'im?!"

"Can't you figure it out?" Optimus replied as he walked off.

"I could," Caitlin commented dryly with a glance behind her as the others kept walking. "But I'm not sure he'd appreciate the sentimental sentiments. Especially regarding his former comrades. Not that I particularly care or anything," she added and then glanced around when she got no comment. "Alone, I see. Well… I best get moving. Staying still in this place is cause enough for a heart attack. I don't like this," she muttered as she kept moving. "I don't like this at all…"

Finally, Dinobot lead them to where they could salvage the necessary parts for the Maximal's departure. Caitlin wasn't so sure she wanted to help them leave, but she wasn't sure she could do _anything_ regardless, either. Sighing, she realised with no small amount of pain that the Maximals longed to return to Cybertron. After all, it was their home. It was the place where they had grown up and lived in. But, it was not her home, however. And she wondered what would become of her. Should she stay on Earth to live the rest of her life alone, or go with the Maximals and make a life on Cybertron? Were either of those two options available to her?

Too many questions. No answers. Neither option was particularly appealing – but with the way things were going, she was going to have to figure it out. And soon.

Dinobot turned around after making a final sweep of the area – and looked directly and solely at Optimus. "Hmm… This is what you seek," he told the ape in a business tone. "I detect no hostiles. I will reconnoitre elsewhere." And with that being said, Caitlin was forced to step to the side to allow the raptor enough room to slip past her. She didn't look at him, feeling the ghostly impression of his form slide around her – and sent him a glance as she watched his back for a moment before returning her attention to the others.

"Yo, uh, Scrape-Ape," Rattrap whispered to Optimus. "What are we gonna do with Dinobot?"

"Why should we do anything?" Optimus asked in reply.

"Man! Look at 'im!" Rattrap replied, gesturing wildly to the raptor and everyone but Caitlin turned to face him. "He's still a Predacon! He's only with us cos he knew we'd win, not because he believed in what we stood for! He's a solider! With the enemy gone… who else is he gonna fight?"

_'Obviously, you… considering you're the one who enjoys pushing his buttons,'_ Caitlin thought dryly, keeping her arms folded. She could feel a few ghostly impressions of the raptor's feelings from his Spark. She wasn't sure she particularly liked those feelings coming from the headstrong, cocksure (but no empty air) raptor. She sent the rat a hooded look. "Perhaps, he will surprise you," she stated and turned on her hell and stalked off.

"Where are you going?" Optimus, concerned. He wanted to reach over and pull her back, but he didn't think she'd react positively to that.

"Outside," she replied without turning back. "I don't like this place… At all!"

They let her go.

However, Caitlin ended up entering a part of the ship she hadn't seen before. She cursed at its maze-like foundations and the fact she had somehow found herself behind Dinobot. He was still on high alert. Wordlessly, she groaned. She'd expected to find herself at the exit by now, but it seemed she was a little lost. She sent a glowering glare at the area before turning her attention back to Dinobot. She was surprised to find Cheetor placing a few of Tarantulas' dead legs over Dinobot's shoulder.

Instantly, the raptor reacted – and was oh-so-close to taking off Cheetor's hand. And of course, the cat cracked up laughing and shook the legs. "Ayy! _Gotcha_!"

Dinobot, of course, didn't see the humour, Instead, he glared at the legs and demanded: "Where did you find these?"

"Just over there," Cheetor replied, pointing to his left with an innocent look.

Quick as a flash—Dinobot snatched the legs from Cheetor and looked at them. There was a sort of sadness to the raptor's gaze that Caitlin would have never expected. And just this once, she wondered what his past was. "Alas, poor Tarantulas! I knew him, Cheetor! This is the leg that stalked so many victims… that it should come to this!"

Cheetor didn't feel as sympathetic to him. "Awww," he asked, holding out his arms. "Do you need a hug?"

_'Ohh, bad idea Little Cat,'_ Caitlin inwardly cringed. _'Not the best way to console a temperamental former Predacon soldier with the tolerance of a mule.'_

Just as she had expected, Dinobot snapped at the cat – literally, only to find himself held back. Turning around with fire in his optics, they saw Rattrap holding onto him by his arms. "Hey, bey! We're leaving!" the rat exclaimed. "We've got the parts we need… Come on!" Rattrap let Dinobot go, and the raptor growled at Cheetor, who backed away slowly.

Caitlin watched as Dinobot's optics caught sight of the legs again and closed his eyes.

"You know, personally I'd prefer to have been the one to explode Tarantulas from here to high-hell," she spoke up suddenly, having stepped towards the raptor while he remembered Tarantulas. Dinobot's optics snapped towards her and was surprised at the distance, and stepped back. His optics narrowed on her as she stepped closer. Before he could react she grabbed his wrist of the hand holding the legs, and lifted it. Her expression darkened and lit with a flare of hatred Dinobot could only stare at. Then, she slapped it from his grasp and then spun him to face the other way with a little help of telekinesis. "Move it, Chopperface," she said airily as if nothing had happened. "You're a velcioraptor, not a sloth."

Dinobot growled at her attempts to distract him from the current situation, but he grudgingly allowed her to hold his wrist as they exited the Dark Syde. However, he marched forwards when they caught sight of the others, forcing the contact to stop. Clenching her first, she rubbed at her arms as she followed, a frown settling over her lips.

She looked down at her right arm – and the scar that was there…

* * *

Later, whilst the Maximals did the repairs on the… _thingy_, Caitlin settled in the kitchen. She was experiencing a fierce sense of hunger, and had not been able to ignore it. But, the silence got to her. It was strange, considering she had spent many weeks seeking solitary moments – only to now need conversation. But, she had not been able to get over the fact she was now… _Bonded_.

And what a strange term that was.

There were no rituals of getting to know one another, dating or even the first kiss. It just _was_. And that was the parallel between a sentient robot and a human. As bad as it sounded: a human based most of their attraction for a suitable mate on their physical characteristics. If one found a partner who was beautiful on the inside and out: they were very fucking lucky. Caitlin? Not so much. She had only ever had, at least: two boyfriends. The first had been simply a puppy love. She hadn't at all felt much other than the fact it was nice to be… liked. She had never been the type to actively seek companionship – but humans were often social creatures. Even at times: the anti-social desired a conversation or two… if only to avoid boredom. It was not love. And besides, she'd only been, what… 10 at the time? That wasn't a time for a girl to have a '_boyfriend'_.

But her second boyfriend… had been a surprise. Most of all to her. He had a girlfriend at the time she first actually met him in High School. They'd been in the same year, but not until the last two years, did they officially meet and actually chat. Then they just kept meeting and her, the person who preferred her own company: found she actually liked _his_.

It had been… confusing to her.

Then, in her own way: she had started seeking his companionship… but, in the end: he had taken been in a motorcycle accident on a date with his Girlfriend… After breaking up with her over the internet

She had liked him. And that was why she had been so furious. She could not let go of that piece of her past. She had liked him. Despite the fact he had a Girlfriend, he'd been her Best Friend. She had told him things she'd never been able to tell her twin – who could practically read her mind, when she bothered. And he had been her first kiss. They'd both been drunk at the time. He and the rest of her friends at the time, had been drinking before their 18ths. She hadn't wanted to, really, but even she was not immune to peer pressure. One thing lead to another – and she gave him her first kiss.

It was after he broke up with her that she finally realised that it had not been a crush. She had thought of him as only her friend - though even that was destroyed when he sent that email.

She didn't think she knew what that kind of love was like. She had enjoyed the kiss, maybe. But… there weren't exactly any sparks either; like the kind some people mentioned. She'd never experienced that. He may have been the one to claim her first kiss – but he had not been the one to claim her heart. In fact, no one had a claim on her heart. But, the fact she was Spark-Mated to Dinobot and Rattrap, bothered her: because that implied they both had a claim…

Frankly, it terrified her.

The apple dropped from her hand and rolled onto the floor. She stared at the hand that it had fallen out of, and sighed.

She needed to think of something else. Mulling over it, she decided to link minds with Rattrap to see what they were doing in the base of the ship.

It was a little thing she'd learnt that she could do, by accident… She certainly hadn't wanted to see him remember a few, perverse memories…

* * *

While they operated on the engine, Rattrap decided to voice his opinion, yet again, about the situation regarding Dinobot. "But we still can't trust Dinobot!"

"Before we decide where he's going," the rhino said in a tone that said he was nearing the threshold of his patience with this argument. "Better decide where we're going. I'm almost done with these drive repairs!" He was hard at it too, didn't even look up at the rat as he told him his point of view on the matter. Business always comes first. How alike peace and conflict were…

"First order of business is the stasis pods still in orbit," Optimus said. "They have to be recovered and our comrades rescued. We also have to alert Tigatron."

"Okay, but after that we start exploring the galaxy again, right?" Cheetor asked.

"Who-Who-Whoa! What're talking here?" Rattrap exclaimed. "E-eh! Have you taken a look at this scrap-heap lately?" he asked, looking around. "we even make it to space, he-he-he, the only place we're heading is back to Cybertron!"

"I'm afraid Rattrap is right," Optimus said after he'd shifted his position from above to where the rat and cat were.

"Woo-hoo-hoo-hoo!" Rattrap exclaimed excitedly. "Yeah-heh! Bout time too! Ohh, I can just hear the dame's cryin for me!"

…

Caitlin growled, clenching her new apple in her hand. And didn't even notice when it was crushed. The juice dripped down her am and onto the floor.

What did that blasted jackass rodent mean by that….? _Besides_ the obvious of course.

He was Spark-Mated to her, and he was thinking about other '_dames'_! That rat would have another thing coming when she got her hands on him!

A part of her brain went Click, and she froze.

Hold on a second… Did she just think what she think she just thought?

…

Then, from behind Rattrap – Dinobot appeared in his raptor form. He couldn't help but make a snide remark, if that smirk was anything to go by. "Perhaps it is the thought of your return that causes their… unhappiness," he quipped.

Rattrap spun with a grin. "E-he-hey, Chopperface! An actual comeback!" Then frowned and waved his hand like a rocking boat on the sea. "Eh, a little lame, but I can tell you're feeling better."

"And with good reason," he jibbed pleasantly as the raptor approached the rat. "I shall not see you again."

"Whoo-hoo!" Rattrap exclaimed, thrilled to be insulted once again. (How positively strange. Usually people were thrilled to be complimented…) "Another dig!"

Optimus, however… didn't feel the thrill of his statement – and what it actually might mean. "Shh," he said as he pulled the rat back to look closer at the raptor. "What are you saying Dinobot? You will not return with us to Cybertron?"

Dinobot shook his head. "No. On Cybertron, I will be merely a Predacon Criminal. But on this planet… I have no equal. I shall remain to conquer and rule."

"I understand," Optimus replied with the patience of the saint, knowing he could do nothing to dissuade the former Predacon soldier. And he remembered something that Caitlin had once said…_ "Dinobot is a Warrior, born and raised in Predacon traditions and beliefs. True, his honour is a cause of envy amongst you Maximals, but… he isn't suited for the peace you aspire to. He craves combat for that's where he thrives…"_ And, it was true. It was strange that she, a stranger to war – knew more about this soldier than he himself did. "Nonetheless," he added to the raptor out loud. "Let the records show that I advise against this action. It will eventually lead to your destruction."

"Eventually," Dinobot agreed, but then added, "Eventually can be a long time, Optimus Primal." He stood up straight and looked at them all like a soldier reporting off from duty. "I salute my former Maximal Leader, and my former comrades… Goodbye."

"What about Caitlin?" Cheetor asked. "Are you going to say goodbye to her too?"

"…I do not think she would mind," he replied without turning around and prowled off.

"_Dinobot_!" Cheetor exclaimed, and then quieter… "Dinobot?"

The raptor didn't reply.

…

Caitlin growled; a haze of red filtering through her vision. How dare those two Spark-Mates of hers treat her like some sort of garbage disposal unit! But then, her anger defused just as quickly as it had been ignited. Then again… _she_ was the one who had avoided them like the plague. So, she could not fault them for their actions. Well, in regards to Rattrap – he was an abject womanising scumbag hoe! She laughed to herself at that. She couldn't help but think it. He exploited his perverse nature even to Cheetor. He had made it no secret that he liked to travel the wild side… And Dinobot? He was not a bot that valued such attachments. And, if he did… well, she couldn't think on that either.

"Damn emotions!" she snarled and then stood to her feet to grab another apple. She paused at the fruit bowl. What was she going to do? Suddenly, a familiar presence made itself known. Turning around, she smiled at a certain black feline. He'd grown bigger than last she'd seen him. She smiled warmly. "Hello Shadow."

"Caitlin!" he exclaimed excitedly, pouncing on top of his 'Mother' and lavishing kisses on her. "You're back!"

Caitlin almost gagged on the saliva. She wiped it off once her exuberant 'Son' had calmed down, and stroked his head. If panther's had the ability to purr, Shadow would have. Instead, he made a pleased growl at the back of his throat and leant into her hand. She chuckled, but her good mood dimmed as she remembered Shadow's real mother, and how she had died – and then she remembered the events leading up to her capture by the Predacons…

Unable to stop the torrent of emotions, she fell into Shadow's side – hugging the panther closely as she started to sob the tears she had not released in… many, many years.

Shadow growled affectionately, rubbing his head against his distressed mother's side. He tried to comfort her as much as he could with his presence. But, her sobs seemed to increase at his attempts to comfort her and so he simply settled for wrapping his tail around her. "Everything will be okay," he whispered. But, he didn't know if it would be…

* * *

Somewhere off in the distance, a white red-eyed rat was sniffing around. He was minding his own business, when suddenly: heavy footsteps came stampeding towards him. His eyes widened as a large foot hovered above him, and he bolted off before he could be squashed. The massive form causing the disturbance, turned out to be Dinobot. He had transformed into his robotic form at some point, and he looked around the terrain. The rat had fallen against a cliff, pressed into the dirt until he started sliding down a wide crack in the earth that lead down into darkness. Dinobot, hardly concerned by the sharp drop – easily stepped over the gap – when suddenly the rat began to screech… and a manic cackling sound, echoed.

A bit of saliva dropped from a familiar pair of pincers onto a certain flyer's beak. Making a disgusted sound in his throat and making a face at the sensation of drool on him, Terrorsaur shook his head to rid himself of the offending… gunk. He glared up at Tarantulas. "Stop slobbering on me, Tarantulas!"

The spider shimmied around to look at him, none too pleased to be interrupted. "I am _feasting_!" he screeched.

"Waspinator move! Tarantulas fat enough already," Waspinator snapped, pushing against the spider's butt and fed up with being pinned to the wall in the narrow space.

"If Waspinator does not stop cuddling me like a stuffed toy when he sleeps," Tarantulas yelled at the wasp threateningly, "Then I'll eat him as well!"

Waspinator, however: was one of the very few bots who was not intimidated by the deranged scientist. "I'd like to see you try!" he retorted.  
"Yes I will!"  
"No you won't!"

And so the two quickly fell into the argument against their end of the crack. Had it been any other moment in time, and not inside the small and narrow and claustrophobic-inducing space between two cliffs – Vincent might have been laughing. Instead, he covered his ears with his hands hard enough for his knuckles to turn white. He hummed a tune almost obsessively in his throat to block out the sounds around him. He was this close to losing it – much like that red chicken who was acting skittish in the cramped, tight space. "You all make me sick!" Terrorsaur yelled, his voice showing the meltdown of his mind. "I-I can't stand this any longer, Megatron! I GOTTA GET OUT!"

"Cool it, Dickless!" Vincent finally snapped, trying to grasp the red pterodactyl by the neck to stop him from moving around too much. He felt his temper rising. And while he had no qualms unleashing his temper; he couldn't afford the risk for the Maximals, or Caitlin, realising they were actually alive. His temper was wild and as dangerous as fire. And like Caitlin, if he lost control of his rage: a tornado of flames would burst from him – incinerating all around him as if he was an atomic bomb. But, if he did that: Megatron would just come back from the dead just to kill him and drag him to The Inferno with him. And he didn't want that… "You're not the only one who wants out," he sneered at Terrorsaur. "So stop making it seem like you're the only one who doesn't find this annoying!"

Finally, Scorponok was the one who slapped Terrorsaur silly. Vincent ducked just in time to watch the red chicken go SPLAT against the wall. The scorpion sent Terrorsaur a look that said it all: _'It's all your fault, you moron!'_ "We wouldn't be here, if you didn't trip over that spy cable!" was all he said angrily. Even he was fed up with this situation, it appeared.

"You are correct, Scorponok," Megatron growled out. He made a very awkward, amusing picture in the small space. His hulking figure was forced to crouch down. Frankly, it didn't look at all comfortable. And Vincent hoped the T-Rex was feeling every bit as small and painful as the image looked. But, his arrogance was too outstanding for that. "But, thanks to Terrorsaur's inherent discovery of the enemy spy camera, we were able to pull this little deception… yeeesssss!"

_'Ever one to point out the obvious isn't he?'_ Vincent smirked to himself, hardly daring to voice the thought out loud.

"But what if they detect us?" Blackarachnia asked, the femme Predacon in the most comfortable position, of course. "Don't forget… my signature dampening device is _only_ experimental."

"As all good things are," Vincent muttered to himself.

"We only have to wait until they have repaired their ship," Megatron replied, turning to face the she-spider. "And then attack while their guard is down. With the Maximal shop in our possession, we will be able to recover the orbiting stasis pods, containing Maximal's eager… hehehehe, to become Predacons!" Terrorsaur, who was attempting to get up from his awkward place on the wall, stopped and cowered when Megatron suddenly appeared, towering over him; "SO NO ONE LEAVES!"

"Leaving?" he asked as innocently as a Predacon can be. "Who said anything about leaving? OW!" he yelled – a rock falling atop his head.

"What's that?" Megatron asked, looking upwards – and spotted a very familiar face. "A SPY! It's that traitor, Dinobot!" Dinobot ran off hurriedly, his processor hunting for a strategic place to fight – since he was a smart warrior. "Stop him, Predacons: TERRORISE!" the T-Rex ordered. Waspinator and Terrorsaur were the first ones who shot out of the crack – and flew towards Dinobot's position….

…Only to have a very-very large boulder drop on top of them, courteously of Dinobot.

"Blackarachnia, TERRORISE!" the she-spider said once she was free of the crack.

Vincent, however, chose to fold his arms and watch the battle. He was in no mood to fight, today. The others, however, held no qualms about heading out.

"Scorponok TERRORISE!"  
"Tarantulas TERRORISE!  
"Megatron TERRORISE!"

"Megatron's forces survive!" Dinobot exclaimed as he ran, his sword on hand as a necessary precaution. "I must want Optimus!"

* * *

Back at the Axalon, a certain illusive tiger was finally approaching the Axalon. He was using the lift to enter the Control Room; however he didn't exactly like the feeling of being closed in on all corners. He had been 'born' out in the open with nature. And since he had no memories of his former life, he often felt more tiger than robot. "It feels strange to be inside an artificial structure!" he hissed, looking very much like he'd rather be outside right now – and running for the mountains that were his territory.

"Hey-hey!" Rattrap called from where he was laying atop the Control Console. "It's Tigatron the Barbarian!"

"And what does that make _you_, vermin?" Caitlin scoffed darkly, rolling her eyes. She was referring to the rats' unsanitary habits as she headed towards the lift.

"Can it!" Rattrap sniffed in reply, and turned to the white tiger – ignoring Caitlin completely. "Welcome back to civilisation guy! We're going home!"

"And you're just in time," Rhinox added. "All systems check!"

"Let's do it!" Optimus yelled.

"Power up!" Rhinox called, pressing a few buttons – unaware that one occupant wasn't on the ship.

Caitlin was outside, watching from below – when she heard and then saw Dinobot racing towards them. But… he was being followed by the Predacons. He'd been shot in the back, but that didn't stop him from powering up his lasers and shooting at his annoying adversaries from where he'd fallen. Her reaction was instinctive and instantaneous.

"DINOBOT!" she yelled, raising her arms.

Fire rose at the flick of her fingers. Her left eye flashing as red as her right, before she flicked her arms forward. A deadly wave of red-hot flames shot towards the Predacons firing upon Dinobot. As they skittered back to avoid the temperamental tendrils, she ran forward as Megatron fired a shot at Dinobot. Once she was at his side, she used the wind to blow a blast underneath him, forcing him somewhat to his feet.

"You are two kinds of crazy—You insane, bloodthirsty, arrogan', cocky cocksure varmint!" She growled down at him as he fell back to his knees, unable to support his own weight. "Do you EVER think about ANYTHING otha than ya bloody desire for rulin over those weaka than ya?!" She threw up her hands, interrupting what might have been his reply and slapped him over the head, not in the slightest bit sympathetic to his wounds. "God you Preds are so annoyingly stubborn, it pales when compared to a bloody mule!"

Dinobot could only stare up at her in silence – when suddenly from behind them; Optimus flew down. He placed a shield between the three of them and the missiles. "This is strategically unsound," the raptor managed to say with no small amount of disapproval of Optimus' actions.

"Tell me about it back on Cybertron!" Optimus replied, intending to get the hell out of there – but got shot down by that blasted, no-good bastard Terrorsaur!

Oh, she was _totally_ going to melt a certain part of his body to a certain part of a certain wasp's body!

Cheetor appeared by their side – and together with Caitlin, they fired upon the red chicken. And just like the cowardly ass he was, he flew back. The missiles from the ship came raining down upon the oncoming Predacons; taking them out one by one. Optimus transformed, but the ship was already moving. A little too fast. There was nothing to be done about it. It was going to go, and it was going to go now! Dinobot had passed out, and the ape had to carry him to the lift. Caitlin was already there with Cheetor, leaning forward slightly, preparing herself to help the ape – but suddenly:  
….Optimus was falling….

Caitlin's face twisted angrily as Cheetor yelled. When they appeared up in the Control Room, they shook their heads. Caitlin looked to the side in shame. The others understood. She folded her arms over her chest and refused to meet anybody's eye. Then, Dinobot spoke up, weakly; "You should have left me behind…"

Rattrap instantly pulled a: _'Oh no, you didn't?!_' stance and glared at the raptor. "Hey pal! Optimus got left behind just to save your scaly skin! So, don't spoke the sacrifice! _Capiche_?!"

"Oh, but it is already spoiled, yesss!" Megatron proclaimed, entering from one of the doors.

Megaton fired on each of the Maximals and then approached Rattrap, and then Rhinox onlined his optics. At the same time, Caitlin turned her two eyes upon him – and released her rage. "NOT A CHANCE!" the two roared together. Before Megatron could react: he was hit by the complete force of an angered rhino and the one-punch, under-the-belt blow by an extremely pissed of female who was at her wits end and wanted to cause pain. It was Rhinox who shoved him down the lift and Caitlin who closed the hatch with a predatory smile – until the warning lights went off.

Caitlin summed up the situation quite articulately: "Oh… shit…"

Rattrap, however: decided to _articulate_ the obvious problem: "Ohh, we're GOING DOWN!" He tried to balance on his toes, trying to stay upright in the ever-tilting ship. Caitlin was oh-so grateful for her element-manipulating powers as she concentrated on hovering in midair. This kept her… wait… was she upright? Had the situation not been so dire and had she not been so out-of-balance, she would have laughed as the others all slammed against the lower side of the ship as it plummeted downwards. "WE'RE ALL GONNA DIIEEEEEEE!" Rattrap screed as he held onto Dinobot's outstretched arm

"WAIT!" Dinobot yelled, spotting something outside. "Look! Down in the sky! Is it a bird?"

"Maybe a plane?!" Rhinox added.

_'Seriously?'_ Caitlin thought, shooting the rhino a glance.

"Neh… it's OPTIMUS!" Rattrap yelled excitedly, thrilled at the appearance of his Commanding Officer, who was once again saving his pink hairy butt.

Caitlin groaned loudly, rolling her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, come on! Don't tell me you're quoting Superman at a time like this?!" She blinked, her adrenalin-pumped brain hotwiring confusion through her memory banks. "Or is it Spiderman? Right now… I don't know which. Oh, who cares, Caitlin? This is NOT the time to be thinking over movies!"

Then—the sudden force of something suddenly stopping a rapidly-moving objected: caused them to suddenly veer forward as if they'd just hit the brakes after speeding down the highway at 300 miles an hour. Comically; Rhinox and Dinobot's faces were pressed against the glass, before they slid down like any Warner Bro's cartoon. Then, the ship was placed in almost the exact same spot they were in, beforehand…

Talk about trips around the world in 30 seconds….

Though, to be honest; she could have gone without it… if the state of her stomach was any indication.

* * *

Later, in the dull of the calm down – Caitlin stared at the Control room, still feeling as if at any moment, she was about to fall and crash into something. It was kind of like that feeling after you've been in a small boat, rocking and swaying furiously in the waves – only to keep feeling it once you were on land. She had managed to stay seated where she was gripping a seat with her hands like a lifeline a Lifeguard had thrown her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tigatron pat Optimus' shoulder, silently saying that he was glad to have him back. Cheetor hugged his father figure close to him as he'd been afraid he'd lost the Big Ape for good.

Then, Optimus sighed with an expecting wince, "Damage report."

"I think I speak for everyone, when I say: you don't wanna know," Caitlin drawled, slowly releasing her grip on the seat.

It dropped to the floor with a meaningful clang, and she watched it until it finally lay still.

Turning from the blank look in Caitlin's eyes, Rhinox turned to Optimus, and shortened her summary. "In a word… _busted_. She won't fly again."

"A human could have told you that," Caitlin quipped, a sly spark in her eyes. Her lips were twitching as if to smirk… a familiar and welcome expression Optimus had been missing.

Optimus smiled. "I see you're feeling better."

She shrugged, scratching the back of her neck without looking at him. "There must be something bout almost dying or having a friend almost die – that brings good cheer all around in the aftermath where everyone's fine," she said and then looked at him with a raised brows. "Although… I wouldn't care for the feeling of death to come back again. It's kind of… not nice to have, ya know." She gave another careless shrug, a small smile hovering over her lips before she turned away again.

"What about Rattrap and Dinobot?" Cheetor asked, stepping toward them, mindlessly placing a hand on Caitlin's shoulder. "Are they okay?"

Caitlin and the others turned to face the CR Chamber where the two aforementioned bots were sitting. But, Dinobot was inside the Chamber, healing while it remained open – and Rattrap was standing outside of it. And the rat looked positively furious. "Man, you know: it's _your_ fault that I ain't kicking back on Cybertron right about now… you overgrown, stinky iguana!" the rat snapped at the injured raptor.

"Hmm, I've done the planet a favour," Dinobot retorted with little sympathy.

"Hey, hey!" Rattrap snarled (or tired his best to. No one snarled like Dinobot). "You want me to show you _exactly_ how the velcioraptors got extinct?!"

"Ahem…" Optimus cleared his throat, trying, but failing to hide a smile. He chuckled as he nudged shoulders with Cheetor and Caitlin. He chuckled. "They're taking it well."

Cheetor smiled at him, "Wouldn't want 'em any other way."

Caitlin rolled her eyes, making a noncommittal sound. But, secretly: she also agreed.

Annoyed at the rat's continued presence, the raptor made a shooing motion with his hand. "Go scurry through a maze, mouse!"

"Yeah?" Rattrap retorted, balling his rat fists up as if to box with him. "Well then, why don't you come and make me, lizard lips!" He egged. "Ooh, if you weren't inside that chamber…" he broke off his threat with a screeching hiss as he made an appropriate gesture.

Caitlin shook her head, annoyed, and before either of the two could react: Rattrap was pulled backwards as if from some invisible force. Immediately, the rat's gaze turned to her. She folded her arms and cocked her hip, chuckling. "Let the raptor rest in peace, Rattrap. Go and do something else for a change, other than whining."

Rattrap twisted until he was upright and shot her a glare. "Like you can talk!"

She cocked her brow. "I'm a female. I'm allowed to whine about certain things. Besides," she added with a click of her tongue and looked at her fingernails, sending him sly look beneath her eyelashes. "I've got no other females to vent to about the stupidity of males."

"And _that_ is your reason to whine?" Dinobot asked, eyebrows drawn together as he glared at her.

_'Oh… two against one. Hardly fair,'_ she thought and then shrugged at him. She turned to face Shadow, who had appeared a little flustered from the doorway. He looked fine. Just a little panicked from the event. "Have you been learning to hunt?" she asked him, satisfied that he was fine.

Shadow nodded; glad for the distraction from recent events. "Tigatron has been teaching me."

Her eyes flashed slightly and then Caitlin stared at Tigatron, who shifted under it until she looked back at Shadow. "Have you been succeeding?"

"Sometimes I do. Sometimes I don't."

Caitlin nodded and then turned on her heel and walked outside.

"Where are you going?" Optimus asked, optics focused on her.

Caitlin, peering at him over her shoulder. "Foraging. I'm betting that trip into the air before the sudden drop, ruined my apples. I'm going to get some more of them before I start to really get hungry. Then maybe I'll start seeing if there's anywhere I can start planting the apples closer to home – rather than ten kilometres away. I would rather have the apples close at hand, rather than too far away. Where I have to wait until the Predacons are on the other side of the fields, before I can even attempt to gather some more." She stopped and then cocked her brow. "Is this acceptable?"

He looked at her, taking in her crossed arms and cocked hip. And knew that she was going to be stubborn about it. Even if he were to say: No, it was not acceptable! She would still go. And so, he sighed and inclined his head. "Very well. But take someone with you."

Her brow cocked instantly. She held up a closed hand until she unfolded one digit. "Me," unfolded a second, "myself," unfolded a third, "and I." Optimus opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, Caitlin shushed him with the ease of a girl who grew up with multiple siblings with explosive tempers. "I've spent three weeks on my own, Optimus. I think I can handle a few hours on me onesies. You know what I'm saying, Big Banana?"

Optimus could only blink at the similarities between her and Rattrap, and sighed. "Fine but be back before dark."

Now, that she could work with. "Affirmative," she smirked and turned on her hell in one smooth flourish, marched towards the lift – and disappeared.

The ape shook his head at the similarities between her and Dinobot, and sighed. Heavily. "I think I'm beginning to see why she was Spark-Mated to Dinobot and Rattrap." He sighed again and looked up at the ceiling, as if to ask it for mercy. "She's both of them put together…"

Rhinox hummed in agreement, watching her from the screen as she prowled away. "And she has her own stubbornness to go with it."

Cheetor shivered in apprehension. "I almost feel sorry for any Predacon that pisses her off…"

* * *

Somewhere above in the sky, a stasis pod was falling. And with the way both bases were: no one was going to notice. However, a certain someone with mismatched hazel-green and red eyes; did. "That's either a meteorite or a stasis pod," Caitlin muttered, looking back down the track she had taken that had lead her ten miles away from the Axalon.

Okay, maybe someone was going to notice that, after all. Crashing objects hurtling at a trajectory declining to earth at high velocity, often didn't go by unnoticed as one would have thought; or liked, in most cases. She rubbed at the back of her neck, considering her options. She couldn't just leave the pod wherever it landed; she was the closest one to it. If Terrorsaur or Waspinator had seen the flash, they would scope it out. Not just so Megatron would have more forces. To be the first one a new form sees upon their 'birth' onto this planet – seemed to impact the individual inside. Look at Tigatron and Blackarachnia – though to be fair, Tarantulas had gotten his hands on Blackarachnia and probably messed with her systems…

However, that posed the question if she should contact the others; but she had spent a good few hours on foot just to reach where she was. Though the fact that the bots were larger and quicker on their feet, didn't make her want to call them either. She decided that she might as well secure the pod before any Predacons found out about it. And she was going to do it by herself. She had been too much of a damsel in distress for her liking. This, however, _this_ gave her a chance to do something for the others.

Luckily, it had landed further in Maximal territory. The Preds didn't often come this way unless they were feeling particularly keen on annoying the Maximals. So that didn't meant that neck of the woods would stop the blasted Predacons. She tapped her watch and then rummaged around until she found the button. "Caitlin to base," she said, and waited for a reply…

"Yeah, girly?" a familiar voice replied, a tad grouchily.

"Hey, rodent… could you give the mike to Optimus?"

She could just picture his flippant gesture and expression… "Sure, sure. Don't talk to the one you're Spark-Mated to…"

"Bite me and put the ape on!" Caitlin snapped – and then waited until…

"Yes, Caitlin?" the ape's somewhat amused voice came.

"Hey Optimus. I've found a stasis pod…"

He was quick to reply, urgency in his voice: "_Where_?!"

Caitlin winced at the volume and held her wrist away and cleared out her ears before replying, "Not too far from me. I can greet and meet the new Maximal. And have him or her back here before sunset. I can do it alone, and you can keep going with the repairs, Monkey-boy." After all, they needed those repairs done. And he knew a lot more about it then she did. She wouldn't know what to do if the bot in the pod was injured, either: but she could transport him/her back to base. Though, not without the price of a headache, but: it would be worth it.

"Alright, but do it quickly," Optimus allowed, his voice strained. He obviously really didn't want to do this. He sighed, "I'm trusting you to do this without any trouble…

She smirked, though he couldn't see. "This is _me_ we're talking about, ya know. _But_ – I'll do my best."

She didn't even have to see his expression. His heavy sigh said it all. "Alright. Be quick!"

"Sir! Yes sir!" Caitlin saluted, picturing him before her.

Silence on the other end…

"You're mocking me, aren't you?"

"It's fun. Now… if only you were a female…"

"Never suggest such a thing again!" – and the connection was cut.

Caitlin laughed her head off as she raced into the direction of the pod…

…

A kilometre away, near a hillside leading onto the mountains, a curious black wolf was closing in on a strange object. To it, it was a large shiny rock formed in a weird shape.

Amber eyes blinked as its nose picked up the scent of something… strange. It had never come across this sent before. At least, not in this area of his territory; but it wasn't dangerous to his senses. But neither was it comforting. The strong, acrid cloying smoke caused the wolf to sneeze and cough; and he leapt back in surprise as something shot out of the… rock. His senses haggled, his fur lifted, his lips pulled back in a predatory warning.

Then a bright light seemed to go straight through him – and then it vanished; and an even stranger scent appeared…

From the trees, appeared a strange creature with furless skin and no fangs. He could sense that it was a female of its kind. But there was something about her that… made him even more wary than the strange scent coming from the shiny rock. This new creature bared its teeth at him and sound came from its mouth; and he growled at what he perceived to be a threat, showing that he was not threatened – but then from behind him appeared his pack-mates. They growled at him in urgency – they were leaving.

The black wolf turned around to watch the strange rock open; and caught sight of purple lights before they turned to amber…

And then… he turned around and disappeared into the distance, following after his pack.

It was time to hunt. But neither of these creatures appeared fitting prey…

…

Caitlin cocked her brow at the amber-eyed, block wolf and sighed a little as it left. She'd never come across a wolf before. And, she was not disappointed. They were truly beautiful creatures. From far away, they looked like a large dog – but up close… well… it was pretty self explanatory. She was just glad that neither party had to hurt the other. While she may like wolves; she would not hesitate to defend herself if it had decided she'd make a great snack.

Finally, she came upon the pod – only to find a large black wolf staring at her. She stared right back, unmoving. She knew this was a robot hiding underneath all that fur. That wolf was too fucking massive to be a true wolf. How did she figure this out? Why, because it was practically taller than herself! She waited for the new Maximal to realise something, anything about his identity, then: "Wolfang… Maximise!" From a black wolf, formed a black-and-silver humanoid a little shorter than Dinobot. He had a sort of wolf-like helm that opened up like a jaw. He looked like a metal version of Wolverine – with an actual wolfs-head, if that made sense. Well… it did to _her_!

_'Well,'_ she thought. _'That covered his identify and his name.'_

The wolf Maximal looked down at his silver-and-black humanoid form, casting a purple gaze around confusedly for a moment. And then those eerie, purple optics snapped towards her. She froze under that gaze. It was… unnerving. It was just like staring into a real life wolf who was deciding whether to attack, or leave her alone. "Who are you?" the wolf Maximal asked in a deep voice, having finally decided she was no threat to him.

"Caitlin. I'm with the Maximals," she replied, finally moving underneath that stare.

"But," Wolfang frowned, looking her up and down in disbelief. "You're a human."

She chuckled. "I kinda figured that out the moment I woke up this morning – still alive," she retorted and then turned around. She heard the wolf follow her, and started to count down to five. She liked to check what a person's temper was like. Turning away from them, when she knew where his comrades were – would have to be annoying. She just wondered how he'd react…

Five… Four… Three… Two… One….

"What is going on here?" Wolfang asked, grabbing onto her arm. "The last I remember is signing up for an expedition. Now, I find myself missing memories… and you're the only one in sight!"

She looked down at the clawed hand that had grabbed her, then cocked her brow at the irritated wolf. Okay, he was blunt about what concerned him. But… he touched her. "Release me, Wolf, and I'll tell you," she replied through gritted teeth, eyes flashing. "Trust me when I say this: you don't want to piss me off at the moment."

Wolfang glared at her, but, after a moment's silence: he promptly released her. "Then.., talk," he growled out and folded his arms.

She rubbed her left arm to relieve the blood blow, and gestured with her head for him to follow her. The wolf complied and from behind him, produced two daggers which he aimed at her back as he walked alongside her. She gave the blades a dismissive glance. After what Tarantulas had done to her, she had become somewhat desensitised to being threatened with blades… it was the cackling that caused her to shiver. She folded her arms at a flash of a memory, and then told the new Maximal the short version. "A war has been going on between the Maximals and the Predacons, for the past few months. It's known as the Beast Wars. Optimus Primal leads the Maximals and Megatron leads the Predacons. What do you remember?"

"What I told you, though I believe it may come back later," he said, then frowned thoughtfully, glancing back. "I remember something about that wolf which I derived my second form from."

She nodded as if she understood (which she half did). "Once you've helped me forage some apples, I'll take you back to the base – where Optimus can fill you in. I suggest you return to your second form. It keeps the Energon fields from… shortening out your robot form. This planet has extreme levels of Energon radiation, potentially fatal to your kind."

Wolfang wordlessly complied, but those bared teeth warned that if she pulled a fast one on him, she wouldn't survive.

"Great, just great," she muttered under her breath. "Another suspicious bastard!"

Wolfang wondered why this human wanted his help in foraging for slagging apples!

* * *

When Caitlin returned, she indeed had a vast array of apples at her side; and was happily munching on one as she entered to Control room.

"See anything interesting?" Rattrap asked with a yawn, playing a game with the computer, not noticing that Caitlin had company

She shrugged. "Depends on what you call interesting," she replied with a glance at her companion. "Although the new Maximal here is a pretty good forager."

Snapping his optics towards her, Rattrap blinked at the intimidating wolf at her side. Wolfang snarled at the rat and Rattrap leapt back to avoid the snapping jaws.

"What is the meaning of this?" Dinobot growled out, appearing from a chamber, pulling out his sword as his optics settled on the large wolf.

Caitlin leapt between the two as Wolfang pulled out his two daggers to try and leap at the raptor. "Stand down you idiots!" she snapped, keeping her hands raised between them. She had no doubt that two alpha-minded individuals would eagerly go head-to-heads, without so much as a: '_How do ya do!'_ "Dinobot, meet Wolfang, Maximal. Wolfang, meet Dinobot: ally!"

"He _reeks_ of Predacon!" Wolfang growled, purple eyes flashing dangerously.

Caitlin rolled her eyes and then took in a deep breath; "OPT-I-_MUUUUUUUUUS_!" she roared.

It took only a nanoclick; and a flushed (or as flushed as a robot could be) Optimus appeared before them. "What's the matter Caitlin? Are you injured?" he asked, scanning her for any injuries.

"Injured, no," she replied, "The matta concerns male stupidity! _Here_ is your new Maximal: Beast mode is a black wolf. Wha he does, is for him to tell ya. _Now_ I'm gonna go to bed before I explode and detonate this base inta orbit as debris with your rusting carcasses caught in the vacuum of space for all eternity!" Silence apart from the heavy breathing from Caitlin as she tried to catch her breath. She bid them a good night and proceeded to walk back to her room.

Well she would have, if there wasn't a matter of a certain suspicious newbie that could put Rattrap and Dinobot's paranoia together, to shame.

"Wait!" Wolfang growled; and Caitlin snapped at him, "WHAT?"

The wolf stepped back as a wall of flames erupted between him and the human female. He took the time to analyse her. If he was aware of the pointed stares from the raptor and the rat, he didn't show it. "Why do you smell like a Predacon and a Maximal even though you are a human?" He didn't even think about the repercussions… he just dropped the bomb.

Caitlin cocked an eyebrow at the audacity. "Maybe because I live with the Maximals and spent a nice torturous three-day vacation under the pleasant company of Tarantulas."

"That doesn't explain why your scent is on the rat and the raptor," the wolf replied smugly.

She snorted. "Ever heard of living in close quarters?" The wolf frowned, his canine-like feature drooping, when suddenly Shadow appeared, his fur raised and growling at the newcomer. "Easy Shadow," Caitlin said, approaching the young feline. "He's, supposedly a good guy all for the fight against evil and all that heroic crap… He just needs an attitude adjustment…"

"_I_ need an attitude adjustment?" Wolfang scoffed, highly offended. "I beg to differ! YOU are the one who's acting all high and mighty since I first arrived!"

"Well whaddaya expect when ya get shoved in the face with two daggers aimed at you?" she snapped, stepping forward with a growl, flames sparking in the palms of her hands.

The Maximals looked between the two of them, bewildered. It looked as if another lovely hateful relationship was just beginning to bloom…

"Don't tell me, me and Chopperface are like this," Rattrap mentioned to Optimus.

"You're worse," Optimus replied bluntly. Then, he looked back to the human and the wolf, "or, you _were_."

"By all the Pits of the Underverse in the Chronicles Riddick, I AM NOT A PREDACON! SO STOP MENTIONING IT!"

"Then why do you keep threatening me then femme?"

"Cos you threatened me first, glitch for brains! And my name is Caitlin… CAITLIN!"

"I should mention that I have not had the misfortune of being glitched in the head, you however, appear to be another matter entirely!"

"And what would _you_ know about that? At least _I_ don't go threatening people who came to see if you were alright and functioning!"

"I didn't know that at the time and you smelt like a Predacon, and I was on the defensive!"

Caitlin growled deep in her throat. She gritted her teeth together when two different hands fell on her shoulders. She looked behind her: both Rattrap and Dinobot were trying to calm her down, and found the flames were growing higher. Releasing a shuddering breath, the fire disappeared. Wolfang glanced at the two mechs at the human-femme's side, and somehow: he knew. "They're your Spark-Mates," he stated matter-of-factly.

Caitlin sent him a _'no, duh!_' look, and then released another deep breath. When she was sure that she wouldn't go homicidal at any given moment, she decided to patch up with the wolf now. She didn't want her first impression to lead to one of hateful respite. "Look, I've been going through some serious fu… _slagged_ up shit – and I don't want to cause any more tensions among the Maximals then there are already. We already have one hateful pair of arguers, we don't' need any more," she said, and then looked back up at the wolf, "Now you have the choice here and now to either accept my apology, or not. Just remember that first impressions are never always correct. If you want the whole story regarding my… _Spark-Mates_, you will have to wait until I can trust you with that information. Is that acceptable?"

Wolfang thought it over… "Agreed," he replied and held out his hand. "We have not been properly introduced," he said with a sardonic, charming grin. She took his hand and he bowed over it slightly, still looking at her. "My name is Wolfang, Stealth Specialist and Warrior. You are?"

Caitlin sighed in relief, but was slightly unnerved by his chivalrous actions. "My name is Caitlin. I am a hybrid between human and alien DNA who can wield the elements, I specialise in surviving, pissing people off and being myself." The two shook hands, and then she smirked, "Although this doesn't stop me thinking that you're a stupid, egotistical mech."

He straightened, but kept a slight hold on her hand, tightening it slightly. "And it doesn't stop me thinking you're an overemotional… _bitch_, is the term you humans use, is it?"

Her eyes glinted with a challenge as she squeezed back, and smirked when he winced as she gripped tighter. "_Arsehole_."

The Maximals were bewildered once again; especially a certain two mechs who were glaring at each other.

Wonder who those two were?

Vincent stared up at the falling object in the sky, and eagerly rubbed his hand together. He looked at the other Predacons, but they were all too busy to notice the approaching stasis pod – even Tarantulas hadn't noticed it. He looked back up at the sky, pinpointing the trajectory of the stasis pod.

He headed off once Megatron's attention had shifted to Waspinator, who had dropped a few precious pieces of equipment.

Somewhere off in the distance, a dark-green alligator was stalking his unknowing prey. That was, until it was crushed beneath an object that had obviously not been there a moment earlier. Blinking his orange eyes; the alligator stared up at this strange, smooth, shiny rock… He watched as a glowing light seemed to shoot straight through him; and then it was gone… An ominous feeling took over and he ducked underneath the water, and swam off.

When Vincent appeared on the scene he halted the programming, and instead inserted one of Tarantulas' devices; he watched, transfixed as a new Predacon life form appeared. He stepped back as a large olive-green and light-olive-green humanoid appeared. The Beast mode that this robot had been given – it's mouth opened up to reveal his head and the rest of the body fit like a sort of strange suit.

Suddenly, the robot turned around; revealing glowing yellow eyes and a grin of sharp teeth that caused Vincent to shiver. "You Predacon?" the alligator-robot asked, and Vincent sighed… _another_ idiot.

"Yes," Vincent replied, "I will take you to Megatron, the leader of the Predacons."

The newly born Predacons smirked, and then glanced down at his reflection. "I am one hunky piece of metal!"

Vincent face palmed… why did he have to get stuck with the idiots? What did he ever do wrong in a past life?

"Come on you thick headed, walking handbag!" he snapped at the new addition for the Predacons.

"I am Gartortron," the alligator introduced himself.

Vincent nodded in reply, but screwed his face up at the name.

What was it with these robots and the names?


	20. Chapter 19

For those who aren't sure about the reference to dimension in this chapter, I helped 4elementsfan4621 with a chapter of her story: Beast Wars: The Amazing Secrets; and Caitlin was in it. So, if you'd like to know about it: you'll have to read it, if you want to that is.

_**Chapter 19: "What do you think about thinking?"**_

The Maximals were in a state of worry. Why? Because for the past 24 hours (exactly an entire day and night), Caitlin had been missing. She had left without a word; expect a note saying that she had found something curious and that she'd be back whenever. It was now lunch time – and Caitlin was still nowhere to be seen...

"Where is that blasted girl?" Wolfang was growling to himself, and then turned to his fellow mechs. "Does this always happen?"

Rattrap and Dinobot snorted in almost complete unison; and Optimus sighed in reply.

Wolfang had been with the Maximals for two weeks and he was adjusting well. Optimus had learnt that the wolf had a broad range of expertise ranging from biology, weapons and tactics. Rhinox had learnt a few new things from the wolf and Dinobot often duelled with him. It was revealed later that Wolfang was only a six stellar-cycles older than Cheetor – and had Predacon heritage, which earned the distrust of Rattrap.

Caitlin often waved that bait under Wolfang's nose, saying that he couldn't judge her for being Predacon when he was practically a Predacon himself…

Suddenly – from behind a boulder appeared...

* * *

24 hours she had been gone. 24 hours since she'd taken a trip through a Vok contraption into an alternate dimension... and not because she had thought it'd be a swimming idea. Travelling into an alternate dimension hurt and let us not forget that she went into a time where the Maximals and Predacons had been sent into a timeline that had HUMANS - not one, but four humans with them. Each of them had a single element they could control. Rebecca, Lily, Olivia and Rose - Caitlin was going to remember them. Especially since they gave her marshmallows.

Though, it was strange how dimensions worked, if she hadn't experienced it herself, she wouldn't have believed it to be possible: but apparently having some Vok DNA had its perks. However, it seemed Megatron was the same on that level as he was on hers... she could believe that wholeheartedly, actually.

In fact, she could not find some possible foreseeable dimension where Megatron was a Green Peace Politician of the Predacons... However, she still couldn't believe the most important fact: SHE HAD MARSHMALLOWS!

She stepped from behind a boulder only to find herself facing... "Oh!" she cursed under her breath; facing a very angry and genuinely pissed off silver-back gorilla robot..."Um... hi," she tried as she shook her hand enthusiastically at the stern looking ape-bot before her.

"Get into the Axalon. _Now_!" Optimus growled, pointing into the direction of the base.

Yup, she was for all intents and purposes: screwed; and she couldn't believe her next thought: but she wasn't even screwed in a _good_ way... "Yeah, I'll just uh... head on up there," she muttered, gripping the marshmallows tighter before running off with the robot on her heels.

Why did she never get a break? When would the Maximals stop treating her like a bloody child? Granted she was in a war, and physically speaking, she was the weakest link – but dammit! She _was_ a bloody hybrid of alien and human DNA who had her arm and eye removed to be replaced by damned robotic replacements! That being said; she was also able to wield every element to her will... within reason of course... However, she couldn't forget the fact that she'd usually overuse her powers, to the point where a migraine would emerge; causing her to fall into a dead faint, which allowed any Predacon to pick her sorry ass up and throw her into their nearest cell...

She wasn't helping her case here...

"CAITLIN!" an enthusiastic cat exclaimed, and with a sigh: Caitlin resigned herself to being tackled to the ground by her adopted brother.

"Before I send you to your room," Optimus said from behind her. Caitlin whipped around to face him, "Where did you go?" he asked.

"Through a dimensional portal that breached my capability of belief into a different dimension where I met versions of you and a group of girls who wielded powers like mine… oh and I used an Alien contraption to do it – because Sam somehow thought I'd find it amusing," she replied, took a deep breath when she was done – she felt a little dizzy as well.

Optimus frowned and then sighed; "Go" he said pointing to the direction of her room, "just go."

Caitlin gritted her teeth angrily, but headed to her room – mercifully dodging Dinobot and Rattrap's attentions and into her room. Once inside, she immediately fell upon the Marshmallows. Some distant thought of hers told her that the fact that she hadn't been subject to sugary foods for such a long time, the end result would not be good. However, whenever had she listened to her rational thoughts outside her thoughts on survival in battle?

* * *

When Optimus returned an hour later to check up on Caitlin, who had yet to return from her room: he was greeted with the sudden appearance of... Caitlin...

"OPTI-MUUUUUUS!" she exclaimed loudly, grabbing a hold of one of his forearms in an iron grip and beamed a smile up at him, "AM I STILL IN TROUBLE? HAVE YOU FORGIVEN ME? WHERE IS CHEETOR? RATTRAP? DINOBOT? TIGATRON? SHADOW? WOLFANG? RHINOX? WE MUST HAVE A PARTY... Do ya wanna know a secret?" she asked lowering her voice into a conspiracy whisper at the end before falling over his arm into a fit of giggles.

Optimus stared down at her, uncomprehending this behaviour of hers. He had never experienced this kind of reaction from her and breathing in, he smelt a sweet, sugary scent on her breath... and then he decided that the safest course of action would be to ask: "What's the secret?" as she began to show signs of pouting.

Caitlin grinned cheekily and leapt backwards, placing a finger on her lips, "If I tell you it won't be a secret!"

Optimus blinked as Caitlin then laughed as she skipped away, calling for Cheetor.

He stood there for a good long while before he turned around and headed to his quarters, adamant to forget that ever happened.

* * *

If Caitlin was in complete control of her herself, she would have locked herself in her room. Sadly, she had forgotten to do that. By the time that the moment arrived that she had felt the need to... do things... she was far too gone into that bubbly world of sugar-hypery that she hadn't a care in the world... for any sort of sense at all. She was sitting in the control room, after having suddenly gone quiet after her talk with Optimus everyone had heard. She appeared to be concentrating on some corner of the room – rather intensely as a matter of fact – and Rattrap decided to test her sanity.

"What are you thinking about Caitlin?" Rattrap asked.

Caitlin blinked owlishly and turned to him, "I'm just thinking about something."

"About what?" Rattrap asked.

"The purpose." Caitlin replied.

"The purpose of what?" Rattrap asked cocking a hip and placing a hand on it.

"Of questions," Caitlin said after a moment's pause and then turned to face the wall.

"Are you ignoring me, girly?"

"No."

"Well it seems like it."

"If I was ignoring you I wouldn't be answering you."

"That's true, but why the short answers?"

"It annoys you," Caitlin stated as she stood to her feet as she began to pace around the table.

"YES!" he snapped and then frowned as he watched her complete the circle, "What are you doing?"

"Pacing," she replied, looking at him as if he was an idiot.

"I can see that," he replied bluntly, "but why are ya pacing?"

"Because," she replied simply as if the answer was obvious.

"Because why?" he snapped, quickly losing his patience. Whatever was wrong with the girl, was messing with the emotional link he held with her as a Spark Mate... her emotions and thoughts were shifting, changing, and whatever frequency she had been on before: was moving too rapidly for him to make any sense of now.

"Because I can," she said, bringing him out of his thoughts.

"That ain't an answer," he pointed out.

She paused for a moment in her pacing around the Control Console Desk. "Actually it is. Not the one you want, but an answer nonetheless."

Shadow appeared in the room, a feline grin on his face, "Hey, what's up?" he asked.

"The sky," Caitlin replied, "or in this case, the ceiling."

Shadow noticed Rattrap fuming, "Why does Rattrap look mad?"

"Apparently I'm annoying him," Caitlin replied, "though I can't see how..."

"Is Caitlin annoying you Rattrap?" Shadow asked.

"Ain't it obvious?" Rattrap practically hissed.

"Not really," Shadow replied truthfully, "you could have had a bad day or saw Dinobot."

"True, but my day was almost like smelling roses until now," Rattrap replied.

"You're the one who keeps asking me questions," Caitlin replied matter-of-factly.

"You could answer them without being... you," Rattrap replied.

"I could," she replied, thinking about it.

"But she won't," Shadow ended for her.

"Hey, what's up guys?" Cheetor asked.

"The ceiling," Caitlin replied.

"Why are you pacing? Why does Rattrap look like he was a fighting with Dinobot and why does Shadow look amused?" Cheetor fired off questions one after the other, curious.

"Rattrap doesn't like my answers, which Shadow finds amusing and it is amusing – highly amusing – especially when he starts to chatter angrily like a rat, right Cheetor?"

"I suppose so," Cheetor replied.

"I wonder if other people in the room can read my mind" Caitlin asked in a whisper, just as Rattrap picked up on something.

"Why did you answer Cheetor with a long answer?" Rattrap demanded angrily.

"Because," Caitlin replied.

"Because why?" Rattrap asked.

Caitlin kept a pokerface that any Predacon in the middle of a backstabbing treaty would be proud of: "Because I can."

"What is going on here?" Dinobot appeared, a snarl on his lips as he took in the annoyed posture of Rattrap, the amused feline grin of Shadow, the curious and very confused expression on Cheetor's face.

"Ráttraps annoyed with Caitlin, Shadow is amused and I'm confused," Cheetor replied.

"You're always confused, furball," Dinobot growled.

"I am not!" Cheetor hissed.

"Yes you are!"

"No! I'm not!"

"Yes! You are!"

"Not!"

"Are!"

"Am not!"

"Are so!"

"Enough!" Shadow finally intervened, "you're doing my head in. How old are you exactly, Dinobot?"

Dinobot's optics flared with the tell-tale sign that he was about to let loose a ray beam...

"Are you gonna answer my questions with at least a sentence or two?" Rattrap asked, turning his back on the argument that Shadow, Cheetor and Dinobot were having.

From the doorway Rhinox and Wolfang looked upon the scene with various expressions of disbelief.

"Maybe," Caitlin replied to Rattrap.

"Why not?" Rattrap asked with a whine (manly whine!) in his voice.

"Your questions don't require long answers," she replied.

"So you're just annoying me," he muttered.

She just shrugged, "You keep asking questions, not me."

Shadow appeared beside Rattrap, whispering: "She's just answering your questions Rattrap. Maybe not in the way you want, but still answers nonetheless."

Cheetor approached Caitlin from the side with a sad expression on his face, "Caitlin, am I always confused?" he asked.

"Yes," Caitlin replied matter-of-factly.

"Why am I always confused?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because you are."

"But why?"

"Because you are."

Shadow finally decided to save the poor cat from overexposure to repetitive: "If you keep asking her, you're going to get the same unanswered answer."

"What are you talking about?" Cheetor asked Shadow.

"Exactly what I mean," Shadow replied.

"Which is what, exactly?"

"You'll get confused because you keep asking the same question, but in a different way that ends up with the same answer that doesn't answer your question, which leads to you being more confused then you already are."

Cheetor replied with an intelligent: "Huh?"

"You made the kid more confused Shadow," Rattrap chuckled.

Dinobot approached Caitlin feeling some strange compulsion to do something that he'd otherwise never do. Something was happening within Caitlin, and so something similar was happening to Dinobot and Rattrap. "Hey Caitlin, are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Dinobot asked in a mischievous, almost playful, voice.

"I think I'm thinking what you're thinking."

"So what do you think I'm thinking?"

"I'm thinking that you're thinking about making them think about thinking that we're all insane. I think."

"Well, I'm thinking that you're thinking what I'm thinking, and I'm thinking we should pace while we think about thinking what thinking we can do what I think you were originally thinking."

"I'm thinking that I think you're right."

"So, not left?"

"No."

Rattrap and Cheetor immediately noticed the two whispering conspiringly to each other as they began to pace around the Control Console, "What are you two thinking about?" they asked in unison.

"About thinking," Caitlin and Dinobot replied in unison.

"About what?" Rattrap and Cheetor asked in unison.

"About how we think that all this thinking is making you wish you could think—" Caitlin began.

"—we can make you think you don't understand what you think you were thinking about—" Dinobot took over.

"—and make you think that you think that you're confused, and end up thinking that you think you're insane." Caitlin added.

"At least we think so" Caitlin and Dinobot finished in unison.

"Huh?"

Shadow frowned, "I think that you two—while pacing—were thinking how to make those two confused, and I think that I think you think that I'll think that I'm confused about how you two think, and therefore think without thinking that all of this thinking is leading to all of us thinking we're insane, and I think you two are thinking what I'm thinking now."

"I'm thinking that I think I think Shadow is beating us about making us think confusedly," Dinobot said to Caitlin.

"I'm thinking that I think I understood what he said. I think" Caitlin replied.

"I'm confused," Rattrap muttered. "I have no idea where this conversation is going."

"Welcome to the club," Cheetor muttered to him.

"I'd rather not. I liked being where I was," Rattrap replied.

"And where was that?" Cheetor asked.

"Not confused. Confusion gives me a headache akin to a migraine."

"Not to mention that he is the headache," Caitlin whispered.

"Did you say something Caitlin?" Rattrap asked.

"I don't think I did but I think I must have, but I don't think I will be answering your question," she replied.

"A simple no would've sufficed! And hey! You answered me with a long sentence!" Rattrap exclaimed.

"I did? When?"

"Just then!"

"Really? I did?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure?"

Rattrap narrowed his optics, "You're just doing this to spite me."

Caitlin smiled innocently, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Rhinox appeared in the Control Room, much akin to someone not wanting to shake the hornets' nest, but having the need to get towards the required equipment that had lodged itself within it. Cheetor immediately noticed him. "Rhinox?" Cheetor asked, "Why does Caitlin always annoy Rattrap and even Dinobot?"

Rhinox froze in spot, but was unable to get out of the situation he was now in because all of them were looking at him. Thank the Matrix he was the cool-headed one. "I don't know Cheetor," he replied, deciding to be truthful, "I don't know. I think it amuses her because of his reactions. I think she just likes annoying people, and I think she thinks that making Rattrap and Dinobot think of different questions to ask her, for her to think about and answer gives her something amusing to do to pass her time."

Cheetor blinked owlishly, "I have no idea what you just said."

Rhinox chose to simplify it, "She like's setting people off."

"Why didn't you say that in the first place?" Cheetor asked.

"I did."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No you didn't!"

"Actually, I did."

"No you didn't say what you said!"

"I said what I said! It's not my fault that you don't have the patience of following a sentence that explains your question!" Rhinox uncharacteristically snapped at the cat.

"I do so!" Cheetor replied hotly.

"You do not!" Rhinox retorted.

Caitlin looked between the bickering Maximals and grinned, "My level of maturity changes depending on who I'm with. I love these guys!" she told no one in particular.

"What was that Caitlin?" Rattrap asked, having heard her talk to herself, but not of what she was talking about.

"Nothing," she replied with a secretive smile, clasping her hands behind her back and rocked on her heels.

"It didn't sound like nothing."

"Be quiet furball! What didn't sound like nothing?" Dinobot asked.

"Yeah, what didn't sound like nothing?" Cheetor asked and then he paused, thoughtful, "What does nothing sound like. Does nothing make a sound, or is sound just nothing or nothing is sound? ...I've confused myself. I'm going to go play solitaire on my own..."

"Right—Anyway, what does nothing sound like… I mean, what didn't sound like nothing?" Dinobot asked, bringing everyone back to the original question.

Caitlin blinked, jumping as if shocked, "I'm sorry, I was just admiring that screen over there… what did you want?"

"What were you talking about while Cheetor and Rhinox were arguing?" Rattrap asked.

"I think I was thinking about something while I was thinking out loud. Do you know what that is?" Caitlin asked, pointing behind him.

"What's what?'Rattrap asked, looking behind him where Caitlin had pointed.

"Never mind, it was nothing. What were you saying Shadow?"

Shadow blinked out of his amusement as he watched the chaos ensue, "I was saying something?" he asked, looking at his Spark-Mother.

"Shadow had something to say?" Rattrap asked, rolling his eyes as if it was a shocking thing.

"Shadow's saying something?" Cheetor asked.

"What was Shadow saying?" Dinobot asked.

"Shadow said something?" Rhinox asked.

"Did you just copy what I said in different ways?" Caitlin asked after a moment's silence.

"It appears so," Rattrap, Cheetor, Rhinox, Shadow and Dinobot replied in unison.

"You know what I think about thinking, questions and answers?" Wolfang asked suddenly, appearing in the conversation without as much as a 'how do you do?'

"What? Tell us what!"

"I think that thinking leads to questions that require thinking of, and the answers require thinking about how best to answer what you think the question should be answered," Shadow said and sat down on his haunches to let them stew that through their heads.

"Did that make sense to you?" Cheetor asked Rattrap.

"Nope," Rattrap replied, "Did it make sense to you?"

"None," Cheetor replied.

"All it's a great deal of thinking about questions that require thinking, and answers that require thinking. I think all this thinking can make the world think too much, and end up confused, and end up thinking without thinking that thinking is too much to handle, and I think we should all stop thinking because answers require thinking how to answer the question you have to think about how to answer," Caitlin said.

"I think I speak for the whole world when I say _'huh'_?" Rattrap exclaimed, sitting down on a chair as his processor had difficulties deciphering the information presented to him in a language he could understand.

"Should we stop asking questions?" Cheetor asked, already having fallen to the floor in the overload of info.

"What do you think I've been thinking about all this time?" Caitlin replied, "I've been thinking about questions without answers that require thinking that goes on and on."

"So this is why Optimus hasn't come in here" Wolfang muttered.

"Why do you say that?" Caitlin asked.

"What is going on here?" Optimus' voice suddenly appeared and everyone turned around to look at him.

"Thinking," Caitlin replied after a moment's silence.

"Thinking about what, exactly?" Optimus asked warily.

"About thinking," Caitlin replied matter-of-factly.

"Not this again!" the others groaned, banging their heads on the floor/wall/table/chair/desk (whatever was available). However, their fears were unfounded because Caitlin had headed to the lift and disappeared out of sight.

"That girl! What has gotten into her today?" Optimus asked, "I think I'm thinking that I think I think I should think about thinking that something needs serious thinking about. What do you think?"

"Huh?" the Maximals asked intelligently.

"Sir," Dinobot spoke up, "I think Caitlin's thinking is affecting your thinking as much as our own."

Optimus watched them all leave, dragging their robotic limbs to the 'kitchen' to fire themselves up with some Energon. They needed it after that. Optimus was left to stare at the empty room before he consulted Sentinel. Everything seemed quiet. Perhaps he might do a bit of gardening...

* * *

"Come to the dark side, we've got cookies!" Caitlin was chuckling as she skipped along the bank, unbothered by the fact that Megatron appeared before her. She looked up at him, eyes narrowing before she beamed at him with a smile so bright, Megatron winced. "Hello Megs," she giggled, "Just the bot I wanted to ask something!"

Megatron paused, the smirk freezing on his face as his practised monologue filed blank in his processor. "You wanted to ask me something?" he asked unsurely.

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, yes I did!" she laughed. Megatron blinked, having never heard such natural laughter before even from an enemy and was momentarily stunned and bewildered. "What do you think about thinking?" she asked with a wide smile.

Megatron felt his processor shut down in disbelief...


	21. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20: "Uhh..."**_

When Caitlin awoke she had little to no recollection of previous events, which was why she was confused by Optimus' wary expression and the glares the others were sending her. There were blurry images, sure, but nothing substantial enough to make any sort of sense out of. "What?" she asked, stepping into the Control Room after having woken up outside with a few bullet wounds that had scrapped her arm (that she had no memory of receiving).

"Are you functioning normally now?" Dinobot asked, breaking the tense atmosphere that had fallen over them. She sent him an expressionless glance that had him nodding. "She's fine," he told the others and sat back down, an almost '_thank the matrix_' expression on his face... weird...

"What's with the wary faces?" she asked suspiciously.

"Don't you remember anything about yesterday?" Cheetor asked, staring at her as though she was a wild animal that might bite him.

"No," she replied, eyebrows furrowing to give her a hooded and annoyed glare. "And I'd appreciate it if you told me already!"

"You were acting... strangely," Optimus replied. "Strange.., even for you."

She blinked, and then remembered… "Ah, sugar-hype," she muttered. "I thought it'd end bad, but it seems I'm still in one piece."

"Wait, you knew this would happen?" Optimus exclaimed, standing up and pointing at her.

She blinked at his reaction; opened and closed her mouth a few times; and remembered. "I had an… _inkling_," she admitted, "but I had no idea exactly what I'd do or what would happen."

Optimus shook his head in reply with a deep sigh.

"You mean you have the same thing as that annoying bug?" Cheetor asked.

"I haven't had sugar for... quite some time. Truthfully I had no idea how I would react, but considering my mood when I started eating the Marshmallows, I honestly didn't care."

"Seeing as you've returned to normal," Rhinox said from his desk. "Can you do me a favour?"

Caitlin frowned, "And what would this _favour_, entail?"

Rhinox smiled, "I've recently discovered a plant that I want to run some DNA tests on. Check it out. Optimus has already given clearance."

"Fine," she pouted.

"You owe me for that time I found you all those vegetables to support your diet."

"I said fine already! Geez!" Rhinox chuckled as Caitlin stuck her tongue at him and collected her bag before heading off. The irritatingly smiling rhino held up her watch, which he'd confiscated from her for repairs or just to add to it, she wasn't sure. Could have been both. She came back, snatched it off him and without a backwards glance, disappeared down the lift.

"She's feeling touchy today," Rattrap muttered.

* * *

"At least it's a nice day," Caitlin sighed when she'd calmed down.

She looked down at her watch, which showed the plant that she was meant to be finding for Rhinox. However, there had been no time limit placed on her. So, with a smile, she deviated from her designated course and took a detour. Probably not the best of ideas, considering the war and everything, but she needed to do a little bit of rebellion every now and then – otherwise she'd go mad! Well, madder than normal.

"A hiking I will go. A hiking I will go. Stay low and hide from Predacons. A hiking I will go!" Her smile faded and she face-palmed herself. "I seriously need to change my scenery!" she exclaimed, "I'm turning madder than Tarantulas and Megatron together... which is a hard feat, let me tell you – AND now I'm talking to myself. Great Caitlin, just great. It's not as if I've become seriously unhinged or anything?"

Suddenly, Shadow appeared at her side. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Aren't you getting that plant for Rhinox?"

"I am," she replied, "but Rhinox never said _when_." Shadow sighed, but nodded. "So, what are you doing out here anyway?" she asked, glancing at him.

"I was with Wolfang. He took me out hunting because Tigatron wasn't available. And Cheetor isn't patient enough to hunt. And Dinobot was busy," Shadow listed as he nodded his head each time me made a point.

"And where did you leave Wolfy?" she asked.

"In the forest," Shadow replied and pinned her with a look. "Do you want to be left alone? I can keep Wolfang off you."

"That would be very much appreciated. Tomorrow we can do something, just you and I. Until then however, I don't want anyone around. Rattrap is Rattrap. Dinobot is obviously on patrol. Optimus is well... at his wits end. Rhinox wants a plant. Cheetor is being too hyperactive—"  
"I think I get it," Shadow cut her off. He butted her with his head, "I'll keep Wolfang and the other Maximals off you. Don't get into any trouble."

"Now _who_ is the parent here?" she asked with eyebrows raised, frowning. "Because I'm confused at the moment." Shadow gave a cat-caught-the-canary-grin in reply. She watched him disappear before shaking her head. "The Vok shouldn't have messed with his DNA…. or was it me? I can never tell..."

Shrugging to herself, she whistled to herself as she tried to find her IPod. She never noticed the form flying above her.

Then again, neither did the wasp see her.

* * *

Waspinator had been having a really bad day.

Not only had Megatron been giving so many chores, Terrorsaur had taken to treating him like his personal slave. Much like everyone else in the Predacons Ship did – and he only did what Vincent ordered him to do because the male fleshy-bot always had some fruit on him as a reward.

...Except for today.

He had been ridiculed. Teased. Shot at. Threatened. Fireball-ed. Winded. Earth-ed. Water-ed. Etc. Etc.

He couldn't take it anymore, he had to get out – Permission or not!

"Why universe hate Wazzzzpinator?" he cried, until he found a strange plant he hadn't seen before. "What's that?" he asked himself.

He circled down to it and took a sniff; and it didn't smell too bad. He transformed to robot mode and decided he might as well munch on it.

He _did_ need something to distract himself after all. So, he grabbed one of the leaves and started munching...

* * *

When Caitlin came across the scene, she was at first, very understandably wary. However, the fact that the hyperactive wasp was only looking up at the clouds, whilst lying on his back with his weapons hanging from the very same plant that Rhinox wanted, caused her to pause. At first, she had simply stood there, blinking. She did not know how to react to the fact that sugar-addicted Waspinator was staying absolutely fucking still!

Then – the wasp noticed her.

"Hello," he said; and not in that particularly annoying voice either, but in a rather pleasant voice. It still was high pitched, but a little gentler on the ears. Truthfully, it freaked her out a little bit. She was so withdrawn into her thoughts and the perplexity of the situation, that she was surprised when Waspinator announced his presence with a simple repeat of. "Hello."

"Uhh," she said wittily, "Hi Waspinator. What brings you out here?"

"Waspinator has suddenly been questioning his place in the Universe," he replied as he looked back up at the clouds. "Waspinator wishes to be a cloud. It would be nice up there, Waspinator thinks. No troubles, no Megatron, no Predacons and no Maximals. Waspinator would be free to do what he wanted because Waspinator wanted to do so. Not because Waspinator was ordered to do something."

She blinked, uncomprehending, but she sat down beside him. Awkwardly, she patted his shoulder. "I know how you feel," she choked out, finding the situation far too strange to do anything but go along with it for now. What else was she supposed to do? She wasn't exactly feeling up to those freaked-out stares from everyone back on the Axalon.

"You do?" he asked, looking up at her with his multi-optics and somehow – beyond her comprehension – managed to pull of the innocent look.

"Uh, yeah," she replied; and they settled into a sort of semi-awkward silence while Waspinator beamed at her.

What in the hell had she just gotten herself into?

* * *

If someone had stumbled across the scene in the middle of the forest – their central processing unit wouldn't have been able to take what it was seeing. Caitlin had put on some music because she hadn't been able to handle the awkward silence. Never mind the fact that Waspinator wasn't acting himself. So, she had pulled out her IPod and placed it on its highest volume and Jason Derulo's: "Don't Wanna Go Home" came on.

Then, something else happened: Waspinator asked her to dance.

"Well Caitlin?" Waspinator smiled, "are you going to dance or hang there with your jaw open?"

When the hell did Waspinator speak articulately?

"Uhhhh," was her intelligent response, unsure of how to respond, but Waspinator made her decision for her.

He took her hand and pulled her into his chestplate and started to dance in something similar to a salsa-footrot.

_Check that out, what they playin'  
That's my song that's my song  
Where my drinks  
I've been waiting much too long much too long  
And this girl on my lap passing out, she's a blonde  
The last thing on my mind is going home  
_  
Caitlin was too mind-blocked to do anything but let Waspinator guide her through the steps as he deemed fit... but after a while she began to enjoy herself and just dance with him. Besides, if worse came to worst – she could always erase his memories.

If only her own were so easy to delete...

_From the window to the wall  
This club is jumping, til tomorrow  
Is it daylight or is it nightime  
1 o'clock 2 o'clock 3 o'clock 4  
We gon' tear the club up_

_Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home  
Yeah so we losing control  
Turn the lights low cause we about to get blown_

_Let the club shut down  
We won't go oh oh oh  
Burn it down  
To the flo oh oh oh  
Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home_

_"Oh my God, where did this bug learn how to dance?" _she screamed in her head, getting increasingly frustrated.

She didn't like not knowing what was going on – especially with what was going on with Waspinator. And she doesn't like being confused.

Being confused made her angry. And when she was angry - well, it wasn't particularly safe for anyone within range of her fists... or powers.  
_  
We drink the whole bottle but it ain't over over  
Everybody jumping on the sofa sofa  
Standing on the chairs  
Standing on the bars  
No matter day or night I'm shining  
Bitch, I'm a star_

_From the window to the wall  
This club is jumping, til tomorrow  
Is it daylight or is it nightime  
1 o'clock 2 o'clock 3 o'clock 4  
We gon' tear the club up til_

_Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home  
Yeah so we losing control  
Turn the lights low cause we about to get blown_

_Let the club shut down  
We won't go oh oh oh  
Burn it down  
To the flo oh oh oh  
Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home_

_I just met this sexy Haitian girl moving like a dancer  
Told her and her girlfriend let's meet in my cobana  
Ask me where the party's at baby I'm the answer  
Have another drink with me shawty where your manners  
Take another shot another shot shot shot shot  
I can make it hot make it hot we go rock into the_

_Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home  
Yeah so we losing control  
Turn the lights low cause we about to get blown_

_Let the club shut down  
We won't go oh oh oh  
Burn it down  
To the flo oh oh oh  
Ayo me say day oh  
Daylight come and we don't wanna go home_

When the song had ended, Caitlin hastily turned the music off, grabbed Waspinator's gun from the plant that looked as if it had been nibbled on. She paused, looking down at one of the leaves, and blanched. It was the plant that Rhinox wanted her to get. Now that she saw it close up, she knew what it was.

A cannabis plant: AKA… hallucinate drug.

...No wonder the bug was acting different!

"Where you going?" Waspinator asked.

Caitlin was finally back in some sort of normality. She aimed the gun at Waspinator's head. "Sorry Waspinator, but this is the best course of action for both of us," she said. It was the only warning he got before she shot him in between the optics. Quickly, she hacked into his and deleted all that had transpired, grabbed a few leaves off the plant and hightailed it out of there.

* * *

When Caitlin returned to the Axalon - she barged in on the conversation that Optimus and Rhinox were having and threw his plant at him. Everyone took in her flushed, embarrassed and somewhat infuriated expression on her face; and decided not to comment. Even Wolfang was smart enough not to mention anything about her abrupt appearance. "That plant is a hallucinate. It's illegal via government law, but in the past it was used for medicinal purposes, involving pain," she told Rhinox.

"Oh," he replied and Caitlin turned on her heel and walked away.

"Where are you going?" Optimus asked.

"I am going to bang my head against the wall," she replied emotionlessly, "then I am going to knock myself unconscious and fall into blessed darkness. In fact, if you have any suggestions on forgetting an entire 24-hour day, please tell me know. I hate headaches, and I loathe the one that I will be receiving tomorrow morning."

"You're really going to knock yourself out?" Cheetor asked, "Why?"

"Because I have witnessed and participated in the single most disturbing thing in existence. And I want to forget it. NOW! SOMEONE KNOCK ME OUT FOR THE LOVE OF LAMBS!"

Wolfang didn't waste the opportunity; he knocked her straight out. Luckily, Rattrap was there to catch her head and bring her safely to the floor.

"WHAT THE HELL IS YOUR PROBLEM?" Rattrap roared at the wolf.

Wolfang shrugged. "She asked to be knocked out," he replied and Rhinox had to hold the rat to keep him from tearing the wolf a new disposal unit.

Thing was... he forgot... all about Dinobot...

* * *

When Waspinator awoke, he had a strange taste on his tongue and a cyber headache. He groaned. "Ohhhhh! Why universe hate Waspinator? What happened to Waspinator? Wazzzzpinator does not remember!" Shifting back into his wasp form, he flew disorientated, towards the Predacon ship, muttering and cursing all the way about the Universe and how he was the greatest of all Predacons.

Had Caitlin seen it, she would have sighed.

Waspinator was back! In all his annoying glory.

Then again, who would have him any other way?


	22. Chapter 21

Hey guys and gals! Long time no see! I'm terribly sorry 'bout that. But there;s been so much going on I'm surprised my head's still attached to my shoulders - or my mind is still relatively intact. Though, mind you: it was already bent to begin with.  
ANYWAYS! I want to thank everyone who's reviewed and favourited my story, you guys are awesome!

I think this is my longest-ever chapter... and I still have no idea where most of it came from. The other chapters will follow hopefully sooner rather than later. But, since I just got a puppy who needs an eye kept on him (he still has a tendency to poop everywhere), it might take a while.

Anyways, please enjoy: read and review. And as always: if I owned Beast Wars, I wouldn't be writing Fanfiction.

* * *

_**Chapter 21: "Dark Designs"**_

It had been a few weeks since the incident that-shall-remain forgotten. Heck, Caitlin had only _just_ stopped waking up from numerous nightmares involving _that_ incident within the past few days. That meant that she had been getting very little sleep – and had slept like a log for almost the entire day. The weather was actually quite nice – despite being on a cliff that was precariously crumbly. And the Maximals were just begging nature to perform a rockslide. Her eye twitched. While she was prone to the ability to fly and manipulate the elements; she'd long since learned not to overindulge in this power. Not only was it the cause of her migraines; she didn't want to completely rely on one skill. Besides, she had a pair of guns and some Energon daggers that worked quite well for her. She might as well use them, rather than let them rust and go to waste.

After all – they'd been a gift slash prize.

However, the cause for their daylight hike was because they were after Energon crystals – surprise, surprise.

Wolfang, however… the lucky two-byte brained hairball: had been left to explore with Tigatron. Bastard!

"Ah, now we're losing the reading!" Rhinox groaned out loud. "There's Energon here, but it's too deep to access."

"As it always seems to be," Caitlin muttered to herself, brushing off some dust that had covered her shoulders. She folded her arms and clenched her teeth together; causing the muscles of her jaw to withhold and keep back her urge to scream out in frustration. She managed to hold it back… albeit barely.

"Dead end," Rhinox huffed out with a note of finality.

"Well, as dead ends go… at least this one has a view," Optimus said, ever the optimistic one.

Caitlin frowned. Optimus. Optimistic. Huh, figures. Not that she appreciated his tone at the moment; and it seemed Rattrap was in the same frame of mind. The reason she knew this was because he stood on his two rat feet and glared up at the ape. He looked thoroughly annoyed. "Eh! You tellin me that we spent all day yomping up here, just to enjoy the scenery? Oh man! What else have we got to look forward too?!"

As if in answering him: the world sent them a rocket that exploded right near Cheetor. There was only enough time to blink – and the cat went flying into the wall while Caitlin blinked, trying to regain the oxygen that had been knocked out of her lungs; since she had been used as a pillow to soften his landing – which equalled inhaling dust. They both coughed up dust and glared at the rat. "You just HAD to ask, didn't ya?!" they roared at him, instantly trying to get to their feet.

"PREDACONS! Up there!" Optimus called out, his optics focused on their enemies position. "Optimus, MAXIMISE!"

Megatron smirked down at them, triumphant and smug. "No place to run and no place to hide, yess!" Gloating done, for the moment: it was back to business. "OBLITERATE THEM!"

Caitlin groaned. Just _once_ she would like to go out without seeing his ugly mug, just _once_! Hell: an entire three months would be a damned fucking vacation as far as she was concerned! They were caught between a rock and a hard place, quite literally – except there was a nice, sharp drop down into a river. Which, she didn't fancy falling into. She wasn't about to use her elemental powers, because yesterday she'd taken Cheetor on a few flying trips with Shadow. It had been a hell of a day, but costly. She was still feeling the effects. Optimus had only allowed her to come along with them on this Energon-find mission – only because she had been bored out of her mind. And a bored Caitlin was a dangerous one – at least for the mental state of those within her company. She could almost call this situation this situation they were in – like trying to find gold.

Except… she was put in a life-or-death situation whenever those blasted Predacons came knocking.

Well… more like entering with a bang.

"We need a diversion, cover me!" she heard Optimus yell over the rapid fire. "Prime jets on!"

She watched him go up… get blasted down… and fall back down with a blank expression on her face. Her next impression would be shock and horror! Cheetor, however, held no qualms in yelling in concern and rushing over as far as he could without being hit. Which wasn't very far, mind you; but Dinobot, grouched out his version of the only solution to the current problem: "There is only one alternative: _attack_ – We storm their vision!"

"You're on the wrong wavelength there, Lizard-Lips!" Rattrap retorted amidst the chaos. "WE RUN!"

"Oh yes?" Dinobot replied snarkily, shooting him a glare. "And just _where_… do we run, Rodent?"

"How bout in the water?" Caitlin put in, pointing with her thumb behind them; and then smirked. "Because the Rat here needs to bathe… _badly_!"

"HEY!" Rattrap exclaimed angrily, but Caitlin only sent him a shrug his way, ducking underneath another rain of bullets.

"It shouldn't be this easy, no!" Megatron spoke thoughtfully out loud. Caitlin almost thought he'd stop just for the sake of an epic battle to end it all. Instead, he shrugged and grinned smugly. "But… mustn't complain!" and continued shooting. And damned if she had thought he'd decide to be sort-of decent. But, mustn't complain he was staying true to his character…

If he didn't… she'd surrender just to retain some sort of sanity. And she was not exactly an icon for sanity.

"Rhinox!" Cheetor yelled in exasperation. "Shoot straight for crying out loud! You're missing them by a for-sec!"

"Close the file on Optimus Primal… and delete!" Megatron sneered.

Then, upon closer inspection: Caitlin caught onto Rhinox's plan. She watched gleefully as his rapid-firing bullets of doom and mayhem finally caused a pile of rocks atop the Preds. Once the enemy had been taken care of, for now; Rhinox smiled. "There's more than one way to skin a cat, so to speak," and quickly transformed back to his Beast form.

Caitlin clapped a hand on his shoulder, leaning on his shoulder with a toothy smirk. "You got 'em good, Rhinox! I give ya a ten!"

Rhinox smiled as she held up her respective digits, but then entered into leader mode. It came only in the situations it needed to. Like… right now. "No time to rest. Dinobot, lead the way. Rattrap, Cheetor; help Optimus. I'll cover the rear!"

"Oh?" Caitlin asked with a pout, leaning into his eye. "And what am_ I_ doing?"

He smiled. "Lead with Dinobot."

Caitlin frowned, but gave him a quick one-armed thanks-for-saving-our-butts hug – before sighing and skipping ahead with Dinobot. The raptor gave her a look, but resigned himself to the conversation she pressed onto him. Optimus chuckled at the sight before he turned to the rhino. "Well done, old friend," he said as he leant on Cheetor. "Steady nerves and quick thinking."

"Comes with the job description," Rhinox replied with a smile.

"No, I'm _serious_!" Optimus exclaimed as if he didn't get it. "If you ever wanted to, you could make one Prime Leader!"

"Thanks anyway, but I'll leave that sort of thing to you," Rhinox replied. "I'd rather just tag along behind and smell the flowers."

"Come on, guys!" Caitlin called out, having stopped to look back at them. "Are you waiting for the grass to grow or sumthing?!"

Back at the rock formation, Tarantulas was creeping along the rocks. He'd been the second one to get free of the rocks. Vincent had been the first. His destination to an outside was unknown – but his goal became clearer when he started lifting some boulders; where a familiar purple head popped out. Beside the spider, Vincent was smirking at the amusing sight the Predacon leader made – trapped as he was under the pile of rock. However, he made sure to keep the amusement off his face when Megatron looked up at him – though he was merely thinking over the past few events. "The rhinoceros!" he exclaimed in an abundance of thoughtful surprise. "I do believe I may have underestimated him, yes… and I could find a use for someone like that… _Tarantulas_!"

Wordlessly, the spider went off to complete his command. Vincent glanced off as Tarantulas searched for Rhinox , while he was left to help Megatron out of his… little predicament. "I'm guessing you have a little plan that involves the rhino?" he asked as he bent down to help remove the rocks. He could have easily lifted them off with his telekinesis, but he had not advertised that ability yet. Nor would he. He liked having Megatron at his mercy—Then a vicious snarl was their only warning before the boulders to their left moved: where Gartortron emerged, shaking his large head to rid regain both equilibrium – and the dust.

Megatron made a noncommittal sound, not liking his situation one bit. Instead, the two of them watched Gartortron finish his preening before turning to help Blackarachnia out. Vincent shook his head at that. It seemed the alligator was quite infatuated with her. The t-rex and the human sneered as a look of total adoration blossomed in the alligator's eyes as he grasped her by the pincers to help her down. "Are you alright, my Lady?'

Blackarachnia had an evil glint in her eyes that Gartortron either didn't see, or didn't pay attention to. Instead, he even kept a hold of her hand until her feet met with stable rock.

_Badly_ infatuated…

Turning away, Megatron and Vincent stifled their gag reflex and the latter focused on getting the former out.

"Looks clear," the rhino said into the comms, looking around. He was a bit behind the others, making sure that there would be no further trouble. He felt confident that there wouldn't be. He thought that the Predacons might take a while to recompose themselves; and chances were, they were heavily damaged and would need to return to their ship. "Keep on going, I'll catch up!" he decided and exited the comms.

Caitlin smiled fondly as she heard Rhinox's voice and turned to Optimus. The ape was still leaning on Cheetor for support. But, he kept moving and didn't complain about whatever pain or discomfort he might be feeling. She cocked her head, eying him up and down. "Are you feeling any better?'

Optimus smiled at her, though the smile was a bit strained. "Much. But I'll feel even better once I've gotten into the CR Chamber."

She nodded and went back to Dinobot's side, to continue annoying him. It was the raptor's turn, after all. Rattrap had the pleasure of enduring her company all of last week.

When they finally made it the Axalon, Optimus was instantly put inside the CR Chamber while the others waited for Rhinox to appear.

Except… he never did.

At the Dark Syde, Megatron and Tarantulas were observing Rhinox. They had chained him to a machine, constricting his movements – and to make sure he stayed put. If he moved from the middle of the contraption; they might not succeed in their—Megatron's plans. The tyrant was practically salivating at all the possibilities his cool, sick mind could conjure. Then, the rhino twitched, returning to consciousness. "The Transmuter," Megatron explained once he was sure the rhino could understand him. "Mega-cycles into the design, but infinitely worth the effort, Maximal, as you are about to discover. Yessss!"

He was just like an '_of age'_ teenager who'd been granted access to a porn shop.

Vincent scoffed to himself and walked out of the room. If he had to guess what would happen; then Rhinox was about to be forced into switching sides. He had seen the details for the inventions' purposes. While it may turn the tide in the Beast Wars, favouring the Predacons – he couldn't stop the feeling that it was a foolish thing to do. As far as he knew, it had never been attempted there; and in that being said: there was no saying what might happen.

However, because he was feeling bored and didn't particularly feel like interacting with his '_comrades'_, he was going to take a trip to the jungle.

He needed to get away for a bit. Ever since he'd found Gartortron, he hadn't had a moment's peace to himself. Apparently, the alligator thought there was a kinship between the two of them. Vincent only desired the alligator's complete allegiance. Despite being an idiot, the alligator was strong and powerful. He just didn't have Megatron's ambition. Nor did he understand when he was being played for the fool. And that was Vincent's chagrin. His '_ally'_ was a complete and utter fool. He adored Blackarachnia who used him solely to keep others off her back – which had been Vincent's intention, but not for her. He had wanted Gartortron to watch his back, while he visited his… alien masters.

He was not visiting them today, however. They had not called since the last time – which was before Caitlin had arrived…

A smirk split across his mouth as that woman entered his mind.

Caitlin. If he had to describe his adversary he would say:

One: she was fiercely protective of loved ones. Two: she had a level of sadism and cruelty to those who irked her wrath. Three: she was sarcastic, which he believed was her armour - and cunningly intuitive. And four: much to his pleasure, there was a dark, fiery insanity inside of her. Just like him. Perhaps, they were alike in many ways – but despite all she had gone through; she had retained her ability to empathize with others and continue to connect with people: despite her attempts to shut people out. He, however, had not. And that was their difference. There were precious few people who could get through to his heart… everyone else who had tried: were dead.

But yes, he had known about Caitlin long before she had known about him. The Kov had told him many, many things about the person their enemies had chosen.

They just hadn't decided to return the favour.

He smirked again, remembering when he had found Caitlin in a hot spring, and for a moment: completely bare before him.

Contrary to popular opinion: the first thing he had noticed about her, were her eyes. They were sharp, alert and constantly analysing any threat she came across. He recognised that in himself. He had been the victim many times, himself; until he had decided no more. A wispy memory of a face, flashed through behind his eyes and he shook it away. He concentrated on that memory because it had been _then_ he had truly seen Caitlin for what she was. She had the body of someone who had survived abuse; and had been forced into the role of a warrior before her time.

And her body had been toned to suit her new environment; because she had taken necessary action. She had decided to be trained by Rattrap and Dinobot. Rattrap, Vincent knew: focused more on stealth and surprise attacks. From what he remembered from Megatron's monologues: the Predacons and the Maximals had been at war. Vincent reckoned the rat had been in espionage. A Maximal Spy, he had most assuredly learnt to fight dirty amongst his enemies – else he wouldn't have survived. And Dinobot was a Predacon Warrior. He knew the strengths and weaknesses of his enemies, his former comrades. From him, she would learn how a certain Predacon might act and how to avoid them until either help came, or she got herself out of trouble.

From Vincent's point of view; she did not like being weak. She did not necessarily have to be the strongest. Oh, she had a level of arrogance, he could see that, but she was humble enough to admit that in a one-one-one fight with say.., Terrorsaur: she would lose. But with some pointers from Rattrap and Dinobot, she could think up a way to get out of said trouble.

At least, that's what Vincent thought she had been thinking. She was realist enough to expect she would be hurt or even maybe die… but until then, she'd fight for her survival.

And if she had to play dirty, she would do so; just like she'd done in the hot spring when he'd fought her, whilst she was still only in a towel…

…And he spent the rest of his hike through the jungle, remembering the first time he'd Caitlin with barely anything on.

Oh, he hadn't focused on those eyes for long, of course.

Caitlin worried her bottom lip as she followed along beside Dinobot. Her mind raced with possibilities and several realities. When Rhinox hadn't returned when he said he would, everyone had switched the full alert. They had been quick to grab their gear and head out for their flower-smelling friend. Especially… a certain rat who was fiddling with his arm where his comlink was located. "If I can just patch in… I can activate his commlink."

"I say we just go after him!" Cheetor yelled, infuriated.

"Cool your circuits, Cheetor," Optimus said. "First we have to find out where he is."

"With so many variables," Caitlin grouched out. "I fail to see how we're gonna get anywhere fast… and so many things could have happened…" She stopped at Cheetor's wide-eyed look and shook her head. He was tense enough as it was, she shouldn't be adding fuel to his anxiety. So, she folded her arms and looked ahead in a brooding manner. She could just _feel_ the dark cloud vapours. "I don't like my mind. It comes up with far too many gruesome possibilities, I ought not to ponder."

Optimus sighed at her, and was about to speak – "EH!" Rattrap exclaimed, concentrating on his arm. "I got it!"

**_"If you're going to finish me anyway, then do me a favour. Shut up and get on with it!"_** Rhinox's voice came through.

Cheetor gulped at what that statement mean. Caitlin sighed as if she should have known all along, and her shoulders drooped. Her hand came up, shielding her eyes as she grasped her right eye. "Great. Should've guessed." Her gaze switched ice cold as she focused on Rattrap's commlink as another voice was overheard…

**_"Oh, finish you Maximal? Noo. I've only just started with you,"_** Megatron's deep, smug voice grinned.

Then, they heard Rhinox scream… and Megatron laugh.

…

Unbeknownst to the Maximals, inside the Dark Syde: Megatron switched on the power to the machine. It lip up purple and with a final whirring of powering up: it shot beams of light at Rhinox. It was like being burnt alive from the inside out – and Rhinox could only scream through it. And, when it was over: the rhino slumped over.

Then, his eyes twitched, and then…

They opened up red.

"Rhinox, TERRORISE!" Instead of being gold in colour – he was silver amongst the green. "Afternoon all," the bad Rhinox said in a cocksure and tone. He stepped forward like some testosterone-thriving thug, "This a private club? Or can anybody join?"

Megatron gestured around him, smugly, "Let me be the first to welcome you. Everyone, meet our new… Predacon."

…

Dead. Utter. Silence.

"I need to sit down," Caitlin breathed and did as such. If she had been expecting anything, _anything_ at all: it had not been _that_!

Cheetor was second to speak, and in just as much disbelief as everyone else. "Rhinox, reprogrammed as a Predacon? Oh man!"

Dinobot nodded. "Indeed. Most ominous. It alters the balance of power."

"I'm talking about what it does to Rhinox! Better dead, then Pred."

Caitlin's eyebrows shot straight up. _'He does realise he's talking to Dinobot, doesn't he?' _she thought, glancing at Dinobot. She had felt a nice tendril of annoyance from him.

"Some of us have survived the experience, _Furball_." The raptor had not appreciated being told that. To his credit though, he remained calm. But that glare was not kind.

"I can't get it back," Rattrap said, fiddling with the control on his arm. For once, he had nothing snarky to say. Of course, he had other more pressing matters that needed his attention than whining. "We're too far away and there's too much interference."

"We'll have to get closer to the Predacon base," Optimus said.

"Yeah, _real close_… Like through the gates and lasers blazing!" Cheetor urged, crouching slightly as if to do just that – whilst Rattrap transformed back into a rat.

Optimus shook his head sternly. "Negative! We don't have the forces for a full-scale assault!"

"Yeah but, the kids' gotta point," Rattrap replied, stressed. "Man, we can't just leave my pal in there!"

"Oh yes we can," Optimus replied. "That's exactly what we're going to do."

"Oh good," Rattrap exclaimed in relief – until he heard precisely what it was Optimus had said. "WHAT?! Optimus! You got a few bugs in your systems directory?"

_'Gambling is not a healthy hobby, Optimus,'_ Caitlin thought, narrowing her eyes on him, and then sighed. "I know that face. Dr. Ape has a plan. Might be good, might be bad. We'll see…"

Optimus smiled at her. "I've got a hunch that Megatron has bitten off a little more than he bargained for," and then mockingly added: "Yeesss."

She groaned and exaggeratingly gripped her hair and pulled at it, "I _hate_ that face!"

Optimus turned fully to face her, his optics stern. "Caitlin…"

"Optimus?" she asked – the picture of sweet innocence.

"Could you stay at the base? In case someone attacks while we're not there."

The halo vanished as flames flashed in her eyes with a pair of horns. "You're not getting rid of me, are you Monkey-brain?"

The ape sighed, but pointed out the facts. "You're still recuperating from yesterday. Don't deny you've got a headache."

She threw her hands up into the air. She wasn't happy with his logic, but she understood his reasoning. She could quickly become a liability they didn't need to have. And, they would be close to the Predacon base. She still had difficulties thinking about going back in there. Not to mention a healthy avoidance of it. "Fine!" growled, stabbing the ape with her robotic finger. "But you come back as soon as you've got the flower-smelling rhino, and. **Come. Back. In. One. Piece**. Or I will guillotine your heads and use them as torches."

Optimus was both amused and wary of her threat. "We will," he promised. "Now go. Didn't you have to get some food supplies, anyways?"

"Yes, yes," she waved her hands with a scowl. "Now get going! I'll meet you guys back at the Axalon. I suppose I can chat with Sentinel in the meantime… though he isn't much of a chatter." Then the others walked off and Caitlin folded her arms, gritting her teeth. "I can't help the thought that I'm being treated like a troublesome teenager. I despise that! Oh well," she sighed, as she looked around. "I might as well forage for food. With the Preds busy, I can actually get some food that will last a while. And I might as well try fishing, again… though I hope this repeat performance doesn't go out with a bang – like last time."

And, with that being said: she marched back to the Axalon. There were a few fruit trees along the way. Two birds. One stone.

Too bad she didn't know how to prepare birds…

A bit away from the Axalon, Wolfang released a breath; his black snout snorting the air as he puffed. Tongue lolling out, he sat down on his haunches. Beside him, Tigatron came to a stop, looking off into the distance, but his recovery was much quicker. The tiger stuck out like a sore thumb – but his stealth abilities were off the charts, second to the Rattrap – and himself. Casting his own optics in the direction the tiger was focused on, Wolfang tried to see what he was looking at. He gave up after a moment. Unlike other bots, he had a malfunction in his optics that disallowed him to access the 'binocular' option. But, that didn't mean he was blind. So, he looked at the tiger. "What are you looking at?"

The tiger cocked his head a bit. "It appears Caitlin has come back the Base… Alone."

The lupine's eyes narrowed in on the base, this time spying the familiar, blurred form of the femme. Many different scenarios raced through his mind why Caitlin had come back by herself. She was almost always accompanied by someone – when she _wanted_ to be followed, he corrected himself. She'd shown master stealth abilities that surpassed the rat at times. Very often… "Something must have happened. The Bitch doesn't leave the party unless she's ordered."

The tiger ignored the reference of Caitlin to a bitch comment. Instead, he cast a meaningful stare onto the black wolf. "Caitlin never follows an order unless she accepts it. She must still feel the effects of her travels with Cheetor and Shadow, yesterday, when she took them for a trip."

Wolfang nodded. He'd been quick to learn that Caitlin was able to manipulate the elements. But the downside for those abilities; were the massive migraines. She could be out of commission when she overdid it when protecting herself and others. He found it amusing that the female was balanced between protective of others and self-preservation. She had the uncanny ability to pop out of nowhere and get herself into trouble just as often. Despite how much they argued; he found it… _endearing_ – Rolling his amber eyes at the thought, he leapt up and half-saluted the tiger. "Well, I'll catch-ya later, Tigatron. I'll go see what's up with her."

"It is good to chat," Tigatron smiled. "I will return to the mountains. Good day, Wolfang."

Wolfang inclined his head and watched him disappear into the distance, before heading off to the Axalon.

As he ran, he thought back to when he'd first met the human. It was said that first impressions were important. And if so, she came across as a timid, nervous deer – alert for danger. But, once he'd transformed to his humanoid-state and had asked her who she was: she'd finally shown attitude and a sense of humour. She'd also treated his aggressive stance towards her as if it were an everyday occurrence. She'd only narrowed her eyes on his blades for a moment, before shrugging it off. Then she'd told him about the war and asked him to forage with her.

Who did that, anyway?

But, what had truly revealed more of her character to him: was the way she had handled the almost-fight between him and Dinobot. She hadn't even reacted to the blades that, had they been a bit faster attacking each other, would have done some serious damage. But she hadn't hesitated – nor had his rising temper stopped her from scalding him either. But, she had shown maturity to let bygones be bygones. Though, neither of them felt comfortable speaking… politely to each other. Much like the relationship with Rattrap and Dinobot, he and Caitlin argued more often than not.

Out of all the Maximals: Caitlin, Rattrap, Dinobot, and himself were the most volatile in temper. All four of them used their words to attack, and right behind the words were their fists. And all of them had a penchant for fighting dirty. Caitlin's sarcasm was often hard to detect, making it difficult for others to realise they were being insulted. Though Dinobot didn't seem to find any trouble knowing when she was doing it.

But, she was Spark-Mated to the rat and raptor, he remembered. It was a _strange_ thought. Very strange… There were times he wondered, by observation: just how that had come to be. But, no one talked about it much. He'd noticed that at the mere _mention_ of Tarantulas in conversations – Caitlin would sit straighter in her seat and focus on the speaker. The flare on her eyes was part panic and part contempt. And from what he knew about that tenacious arachnid… he couldn't guess anything good.

Oh, he knew a great deal about his '_fellow Predacons'_, if there ever was such a thing. And, speaking of which – that reminded the wolf of a certain incident regarding Caitlin and himself…

To this day, he still didn't know how they started arguing, but he remembered the latter part. It had ended up with him revealing a secret part of himself. A part that he had kept hidden from others for all these years he'd survived on his own. Carving a life out of the dust and brimstone in Maximal and Predacon mines alike; always pursuing higher goals, but because of what he was… could never reach. He was… a freak of nature. He was born of a Maximal '_Mother'_ and a Predacon '_Father'_. He'd been the oldest of four Spark-Mates; and in the end he had been the only survivor.

The wolf slowed his pace, his amber wolf eyes drifting across the savannah as a dry wind slapped him in the side.

His mother had never accepted him or his siblings. Not like she had the other children she'd birthed from the 'Father' who'd never claimed them either. She left them in an orphanage. No one would adopt them and their… unique status. When they were all younger, they displayed an imbalance of emotions, but being as young as they were: they had been excused. Until they had matured to the point, where they were legally responsible for their actions… and then it had all gone downhill. Two of his siblings were sentenced to death because some idiot Predacon decided to piss them off. Together, those short-fused tanks had taken out more than half of an entire colony – one of the rare few where Predacons and Maximals were intermixed. Ad his last sibling had been stolen from him by… a Predacon. He had taken a liking to his sister: and forced her into… doing whatever he demanded of her.

The last he had heard, Solar had pulled out her own Spark and crushed it. Committing suicide…

"_Allo_ Arsehole!" he heard, the voice a whip that instantly slashed away his memories. Jumping, Wolfang blinked back to awareness, realising he'd fallen into a deep and dark trance. Looking up, he saw Caitlin sitting atop the Axalon. She held a red apple in her hand. He flicked through his memory banks, vaguely trying to figure out how he'd gotten back here without being fully conscious of his surroundings. While he did that, she leant over her knees and cocked a brow, a shit-eating smirk splitting across her face. "A bit empty-headed there? Not surprising…"

Annoyed, he shifted to his humanoid form and cast his amethyst optics upwards. He cocked his own brow, before climbing up and taking a seat next to her. He found a bucket of apples at her side. A hazy memory flashed through his mind. But instead of apples, the bucket was full of silver Energon – a sort of sweet candy. His sister had loved them… He shook his head to clear the memory and looked between the bucket and her, before asking: "Hungry?" and plucked an apple and chomped down on it.

"Please, help yourself," she drawled, taking a bite. "And yes, I'm hungry." She chewed and then swallowed, lowering her arm to her knee. She sighed heavily and looked back out onto the savannah. "I'm also worried about Rhinox…"

Wolfang paused mid-bite, optics narrowing on her. "What do you mean?" Caitlin put down her apple, sighed again. She turned to face him fully, looking over his shoulder for a few minutes – gathering her thoughts. Then, her solemn, sharp gaze focused in him – and she told him all about what had happened on the trip to find some Energon. The news was… not good. Not good at all. Putting down his apple, Wolfang stared over across the landscape, over the horizon towards the Predacon base. His expression was as troubled as his tone conveyed. "To think… Megatron could forcefully turn a Maximal into a Predacon. That is…" he couldn't really come up with an appropriate description. A rarity, these days…

"Right up his alley," she put in when the wolf couldn't adequately explain it. She raised her apple as if it were a glass; then chucked it as far as she could. It landed on the edge of the plateau that lead down to the waterfall. Her eyes flared angrily, a scowl on her lips. "One of these days I'm gonna use one of those floating stands, ram the gear-stick up his arse and turn him into a hood ornament!" It sounded more like a matter of fact, than a mere statement or promise.

Wolfang, not expecting that comment, snorted at the mental picture her words projected into his processor. And that action caused him to spray some of the apple he'd chomped down. Caitlin laughed as he hastened to wipe his mouth, sending her an accusatory glare. "You did that on purpose!"

She snorted in reply and leant back lazily on her hands. "_If only_. Would've been more entertaining!" Wolfang sent her a sidelong glare, which she ignored. As she reached for another apple, he reached over and knocked her other hand. She fell back with an: "Oof!" and blinked up at the sky for a second. Then, her eyes flared – and the glare was his only warning before the wolf found himself crash-tackled on the ground below, with her on top. She punched him once in the shoulder with her right arm. "You arsehole!"

Wolfang, however, didn't like being in the '_submissive'_ position. He was an alpha male. He was no one's omega anymore. Those days were long gone. He glared up at her then deftly switched their positions. "That," he growled, amethyst eyes flashing red. "_Hurt_!"

She only smirked in reply. "Wimp." He growled – but suddenly found himself flying backwards into the dirt, face-first. Standing up, Caitlin ignored him and all the colourful curses that poured out of his mouth. She dusted off her clothes, stretched, and looked up at her bucket of apples. Her eyes were longing, but in conflict. "So don't wanna get back up to get it. But _soo_ damn hungry. Decisions, decisions…" Wolfang, hearing her musings, rolled his eyes where he'd fallen and raised himself up. She spared him a glance, then approached him with her hands on her hips. Her body language said she'd rather do the opposite of what she said: "Need some help there, Wolfy?"

"Don't," Wolfang warned, his amethyst optics switching red again. "Call me Wolfy."

She smirked. "How 'bout… _moron_?"

"Don't even go there, _idiot_."

"Original… Come up with that yourself?" Wolfang got to his feet, fully intent on launching another verbal attack – when the telltale signs of Energon overload, came over him. He'd forgotten he'd already overloaded about an hour ago. Apparently he hadn't filtered it all out yet. Groaning, he shifted and glared bleary at her. She smiled sweetly at him and shook her head. Then, the smile faded as she looked back over at the savannah. "Well," she said with a sigh. "We might as well go inside. I expect they'll… be a while. Apparently Optimus thinks it's a GREAT idea to let Rhinox be… evil Rhinox – and let Megatron deal with him. Now," she said, hopping onto the lift. "While I often agree that life is a big gamble… I don't think it had this sorta situation in mind…"

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Wolfang asked, looking up at the ceiling.

Caitlin frowned. "No… I don't believe so." She looked around, patting her pockets and then looked at him, a confused sheen in her eyes. "What… am I forgetting?"

If his expression didn't communicate what he thought about that; his deadpan tone certainly did. "Your… apples?"

She blinked, the cloud clearing. "Ah. Well, be right back then… don't wait up!"

Wolfang shook his head and continued up the lift.

Back at the Dark Syde, Megatron lead the newly made Predacon Rhinox to his computer. He had lead the rhino around the base. He needed to make sure his new soldier knew the layout of his new… lodgings. But, now the tour was over and he could get right down to business. He settled himself down in his chair very much like a king on his throne, whilst Rhinox commented. "Nice little set-up Chief," he said in a tone that one could not quite identify if he was being serious, or mocking. "I think I'm gonna feel right at home."

"And now that you've toured our base… to business," Megatron said and entered a few commands on the control panel on his arm rest. A flash and his screen flickered to life with a diagram of the Axalon. "You're formal lodgings, Rhinox. And you have intimate knowledge of the defence systems – knowledge that will prove… most valuable, yeeesss."

"And what's in this for me?" Rhinox asked, leaning forward slightly, a sinister gleam in his optics.

"The satisfaction of having played a leading role in the destruction of your former comrades," Megatron replied, plying the words that would hopefully goad the new Predacon to do his bidding.

Rhinox seemed to like that. "Destruction," he said as though patting the word with his voice and rubbing his hands together. "Yup! Destruction is always good." But then, the image of the Axalon flickered, and then blinked out. Much to Megatron's annoyance. Rhinox, cocked his head as he watched his new… leader. "Something… wrong?"

Megatron shook his head, touching a few buttons to see if that would bring the image back up. It didn't work. He was not one to tolerate incompetence. Even from his own ship. It would have to be fixed. Immediately. There was only one conclusion... "There must be a malfunction in the image decompressor protocol array."

"Gee," the rhino drawled out. "Hope it's under warranty."

Megatron growled at that statement, but sent him away before he blasted him into decommission. And the rhino left without a hassle. But, unnoticed by the T-rex, he went with a smirk…

…

Down on the ground floor, where Scorponok had set up a series of computers that looked after the ship – the scorpion was searching for the problem. Rhinox marched upon the scene as if he owned the place. And if his ego was as big as one thought – he probably thought he did. "The Chief wants to know how long this is gonna take," he said from the doorway, startling Scorponok.

The scorpion, whilst he was loyal to his commander, didn't like to be pushed when he was dealing with tricky wiring. "Well, tell him not to get his software in a snarl!" he growled out and returned to his devices. "First I have to figure out what the slagging problem is!" Then, a panel moved revealing exactly what the problem was. "Hang on! The reductor modem's missing…"

"Noo?" Rhinox drawled with his hands on his hips, looking disappointed. "You shock me, Scorponok."

Scorponok gave him a look, but quickly went off in search of something. He muttered curses under his breath that were, we're afraid to say kiddies: too jumbled to make out and too gory to be repeated. And, behind him: Rhinox opened his hand that revealed exactly what was missing. And – the rhino crushed it in his hands behind the scorpion's back and then headed off the side. His intent was unclear – until: "Scorponok!" he called out, having moved behind the scorpion. Scorponok turned around to face the rhino, "Over here!" and as soon as the rhino had his attention, he pushed at a tall pile of computers – and they groaned in complaint, swaying back and forth…

"Hey-hey-hey!" Scorponok yelled at him, wary of the groaning tower, pincers up. "You wanna be careful there!"

The rhino smirked and continued to push. "Oh I'm being real careful. See? I'm on this side. And it's all gonna fall that way!"

Poor Scorponok didn't even stand a chance. Within ten seconds: he was crushed beneath the bulk of the computers, despite his best efforts to run away.

Too bad, so sad. Anyone up for lunch?

…..

Later, found Waspinator and Megatron standing over the flat form of Scorponok. The t-rex lifted the computer atop his loyal subordinate with a groan and threw it away. Annoyed, he whacked the unresponsive scorpion, "Idiot! What have you done?" Finding no response, he prodded Scorponok three times, but still… he didn't respond. Surprise, surprise…

Waspinator made a thoughtful sound in his throat and bent down to take a closer look. "Hmmm. Idiot does not respond. Idiot is comatose."

"Get him to the Restoration Chamber!"

Waspinator was quick to obey, grabbing hold on the closest available body part, and heaving the heavy dead-weight in the direction of his destination. And once there, Waspinator was quick to buzz away. Trouble was… the poor sap was hit by a computer himself – and sent smashing in the wall, much like a mosquito hit by a slapping hand.

"Heads up!" Rhinox called, revealing himself to be the one who'd pushed the swinging computer. He was quick to turn the lever and disappear, leaving behind Waspinator who acted much like a ping-pong ball let loose. Actually, he was usually like that – but this… this exceeded his 'normal' ability to be an annoyance to all who knew him…

Seeing this from his hiding space, Terrorsaur smirked and looked around. "So… _this_ is the game?"

Back to the Main Command area, Waspinator buzzed chaotically through the ship – zig-zagging around in such a way that even Megatron and Blackarachnia were concerned. Well more for their own state of minds than the Wasp's.

"Waspinator? What are you buzzing about?" Megatron asked, scowling disapprovingly as his optics trailed in the Wasps' wake. Or tried to at least.

"Waspinator? Negative-negative-negative! I am Shrapnel, Decepticon Hero-o-o-o!"

"Shrapnel?" Blackarachnia asked as her optics also tried following the annoying bug before turning to face Megatron. "That was a Decepticon from the Great Wars three centuries ago. He's whacko!" she decided.

At that, Waspinator heard his disillusioned squad-mates and landed behind them, his arm falling over the she-spider's shoulder and his chest-plate leaning into Megatron's. "Whacko?! Noo, Wonk-o!" he declared, raising the arm around Blackarachnia whilst Megatron face-palmed over the idiocy of the situation. "Wonko the sane!" the wasp continued, completely unaware of the t-rex and she-spiders silent agreement and deadpan expression as they shared a '_he's not serious'_ look.

All the while; Waspinator punched himself in the head.

Caitlin had returned with her apples and was in the kitchen where Wolfang had made himself comfortable. He watched as the human moved back and forth along the "_kitchen_" as she had proclaimed it. Though, the place didn't exactly look like a kitchen you'd find on Earth. However, since it had the Energon dispenser for the Maximals fuel needs; everyone either ate there or in their own rooms – which made it the honorary Kitchen and Dining Room.

She had – one day she had been very-very bored – arranged the place in such a way; that there were makeshift bowls from the shells of long-dead turtles – and cups she had made out of wood placed on the bench within easy reach. Since she didn't necessarily cook anything, she usually had berries, fruits and nuts. Her cooked meals were made outside the actual ship – and right after she'd fished out a winner. But, since Shadow had started getting better at killing: he often shared his kills with Caitlin. She was often squeamish a bit, but she had often said she was more of a meat-a-saurus than a vege-saurus.

Sometimes the other Maximals brought in their kills to eat inside the Axalon. But, that changed when Caitlin suggested that he who messes the kitchen must clean it. Nowadays, the Maximals with predator Beast Modes often ate their kills outside the base. Caitlin may be one of the physically weakest of their team: but she had her ways. She wasn't cruel, but she wasn't above underhanded manipulation – especially when say, a rat, irked her wrath.

Wolfang had learned this quickly from his observations of the Axalon crew. Technically speaking, he had stolen aboard the ship. Optimus had confronted him about it, especially when the wolf accidentally let slip his true heritage. But, unlike most mechs, the ape didn't turn him away. Instead, he welcomed him into the group. After all; his being there evened out the odds more than if he was not. Apart from Dinobot – the entire crew represented the best parts of what a Maximal was.

When Wolfang observed Caitlin, there were times when the wolf thought she'd have been a Predacon at some stage. His kind believed that all of the sentient robots, once dead: their Sparks would rejoin the Matrix – where all were one. He didn't know whether it was the same with humans, but he'd heard tell that she had inside of her: a glowing spark – but coloured differently.

He hadn't seen this phenomenon himself and no one really talked about it. Wolfang had tried asking Caitlin about it, with very little success. Every time he asked, she would immediately switch topics or completely avoid him all together. Sometimes, she reacted by growling and threatening to have his limbs removed or brought up a touchy subject. This of course, then set the two of them off arguing again; and Wolfang would be far too angry to try again.

_'Though'_, he thought, _'that might be a tactic of hers to steer me from that line of questioning…'_

As if sensing his thoughts, her sharp, mismatched gaze zeroed in on him. "Something… on your mind?"

"Just thinking you'd have made a great Predacon," he drawled, not wanting to admit he'd been studying far more than that about her. "You know – with how well you can switch from sweet to sadistic in a nanoclick. Though, that just might mean you're bi-polar," he added, over exaggerating the statement, scratching his temple and staring very hard at the ceiling.

She snorted and continued rearranging her apples – she appeared to be trying to stack them into a pyramid. A rather… arduous task, if her furrowed-browed expression of concentration was any indication. She'd glare every time the apples tried to do something she didn't want them to – and then smile when they behaved. "_Me_… bi-polar? Nah mate, that's you. You switch from being nice and considerate – to a judging, argumentative ass-wipe in a nano-click. Me? I'm insane. No doubt 'bout it. There's more than two sides to me, mate. Be glad you've only met, at least, three of them."

Wolfang narrowed his eyes, but then noticed something: "I noticed you didn't say anything about you being a great Predacon," he smirked.

She hummed in her throat and then snorted. "Me… a _Predacon_? I don't see it. For one," she stopped, growling a little when an apple tried to wobble. She fixed it immediately and eyed it as if daring it to try that again. It didn't. She nodded to herself and then frowned. "What was I saying—that's right: For one, I'm not so into backstabbing and beating around the bush, pretending to do someone a favour – only to fuck them over. That's far too annoying for me to even _think_ about tolerating on a daily basis."

"Yeah, but you don't exactly always play nice and fair, now do you?" Wolfang pointed out, leaning his chin on his hand.

A slow smirk stretched across her face. "Ok, I admit: I love playing mind games on people – and I _oh-do-so_ **_love_** tricking people. But not to the extent of _that_ manipulation. Won't say I've never manipulated anyone into doing what I want – I'm only human, after all. But, I've never actively sought to harm someone else for my own gains – or used underhanded means to remove them." Then she stopped, hands poised over the apples as she thought about that for a moment. She frowned and stared at the ceiling, musing. "Or, perhaps I have… and hadn't registered it. People have told me I can be sadistic, manipulative and downright nasty when I wanna be – or if someone irked my wrath enough. But, I don't think I've ever actively sought to ruin someone's life…"

Wolfang nodded. "No, I don't see you doing that. I'm not saying you're pure evil – and you don't aim for conquering anything, now do you, Bitch?"

She glared at his nickname for her, but shrugged it off. "I'll have you know that I've aimed to conquer many things…" She smiled at his disbelieving expression. "Well, not total domination over every living thing. That would just be… well, boring once I've done it. I mean… what would I do for the rest of my life? Behead people who piss me off?" she stopped and a slower smirk stretched to the right side of her face. "Oh… that gives me an idea of what to do to some of the Preds…" she cleared her throat and laughed nervously when she caught his expression. "Don't gimme that look… Anyways—what I meant to say, is that I aim to conquer my own path in life. Whether by blood, sweat or tears: I will carve my existence upon the world the way I wish to live my life. If I aspire to someday run for Prime Minister… so be it. But _really_…" she added with a grin. "Can you see _me_ leading anyone?"

Wolfang snorted at the image of a presumptuous, arrogant and insane Queen glowering at her pupils and then chuckle madly as she sang the song that never ends; and shook his head. "Maybe as the Queen of Sarcasm and Insanity, but I don't see you leading the Maximals in battle, no."

She shook her head. "Me neither. While I may work well under pressure, I flinch at the prospect of having other lives' as my responsibility. I've had enough of that…" She drifted off, a cloudy sheen hovering over her eyes. If Wolfang didn't know any better, he'd say she was about to cry. Feel uncomfortable at the thought; he decided he'd try to distract her. It wasn't often they had conversations where neither of them were at each other's throats, trying to outdo each other's insults.

"Can I ask you a question?"

"You just did, but carry on."

He shot her a look and a slow smirk stretched across her face. Ah, that was better. He was not one who handled crying femme's well. "You trust the others, right?"

She blinked as if not expecting that question and tapped her finger against the bench, pondering it. However, to her chagrin, the apples immediately fell from their pyramid from the vibrations. Apparently, they hadn't liked that. She snarled at them, but couldn't be bothered picking the bastards up. Throwing up her hands, she pushed away from the bench and stormed over to sit in front of him. She folded her arms and blew air out of her mouth as if to expel her frustration.

Wolfang waited patiently, sipping a little of his Energon as he marvelled her mood swings, and how they were able to switch dangerously. One minute she'd be sweet and kind – and the next she'd have you by your throat with a sneer so fierce; one would have thought she'd been taking lessons from Megatron. Her psychology was… unbalanced and unpredictable; which made sense, given her history. No one could pull the plug on a person they cared about, without some part of them breaking.

Then she sighed, interrupting the wolf from his musings. "There are things I will never tell them, but… yes, I suppose I do," she admitted.

He cocked an eye ridge at that. "You _suppose_ you do?"

She cocked her own. "I am untrusting of others by nature. I will admit I push others away more than I hold them close. It's just the way I am. The fact I've been allowing them to _stay_ close… is sign enough that I do, indeed, trust them. But," she added and stabbed the bench with her pointer, "that doesn't mean I'll tell them every little secret I have and every feeling I get."

He frowned at that. "But you get on with them so well…. By the Pits, you even get along with _Dinobot_, of all mechs!"

She snorted and sent him a look that said: '_bitch please!_' "I get along with _you_, so watcha going on about? And I'll have you know that insufferable, antagonistic bird-brain has saved my life. He is also…" she stopped at the word with a soft, tentative mulling expression, "my… Spark-Mate. What a strange word…"

"Yeah, I know that… but why do you even _trust_ him? You _do_ know even with his Predacon honour, he'd leave you to die on the battlefield?" Despite having worked alongside that former Predacon warrior, Wolfang still didn't trust him and the feeling was mutual. The raptor didn't give a nano-byte about him – and would most assuredly leave him on the battlefield to rot.

She shrugged at him and looked down at her right hand. "He said as such before," she admitted and then grew quiet. Her next words were tentative and spoke just how much she still couldn't believe the words. But there was underlying warmth that told just how touched she was, by what they meant – to her. "But he still… came."

Wolfang froze. His processor couldn't fathom it. All of his life, Predacons had been trying to kill him, or in some cases: dissect him. The Maximals, however, had taken a different approach. They had wanted to '_study'_ him because of his mixed heritage. In the end, they had let him go; however, they kept tabs on him. It was because of this: he was as wary of Maximals as much he was Predacons. But, in saying that: Wolfang only found the Maximals easier to get along with – mostly because most of their numbers thought about fairness first. Their government didn't give a nano-byte at the best of times, but so long as he didn't do anything 'too Predacon', he was free of them.

But, he was getting away with himself. Mulling over what Caitlin had said, he looked right at her – and he _saw_.

He wasn't one to study Caitlin often, due to their differences in schedule and the fact they argued more often than not. He didn't know why, he just liked pushing her buttons. He suspected she liked to do the same, but she did that with everyone. But, from overhearing a conversation with Optimus and Rhinox; he'd learned that it had been lacking lately. She hadn't been her usual self. And this was before the event that caused the Spark-Mating between her, Rattrap and Dinobot. He saw it too, in the withdrawn expression on her face.

Her relationship between Rattrap and Dinobot… was a complicated one, no doubt about it. They were of different species and walks of life.

Caitlin was a product of an extreme case of mental, physical and emotional abuse – but she had survived and was determined to keep doing so, despite all the hardships. He remembered a conversation they had once. It had been one of the times the two of them hadn't been arguing. Well, actually, they'd _had_ been arguing. But, their subject of conversation was philosophies of life and how life was hard and in the end: everyone was screwed. She had laughed, probably a bit too harshly: and told him something that had stuck with him:

_"Bad things happen. That's a given. You just gotta realise you're not the only person in the universe with problems. You might think you have it hard, but out there, somewhere: someone has it a whole lot more fucking harder. Me and life have an understanding. She's a fickle bitch with a fetish for chaos. I like chaos. She throws it my way; I put my hands in the air on the rollercoaster and experience everything the ride has to offer. Good, bad, inane and insane: _all_ of it makes you who you are. Without pain or suffering, you cannot appreciate the pleasure and joys life can offer you – especially if ya start focusing on the negatives and have an _'Oh woe is me'_ fest."_

What he'd come to learn, however, that despite her preference for being alone: Caitlin actually _liked_ to talk to people. It didn't matter if it was even an argument. She was a fairly introspective person. She wasn't subtle: tact wasn't her fortitude – she was far too blunt for that, but given the right mood she'd play games with you mind for hours and hours until she either took pity on you or the other person recognised they were being played or duped. Despite her laid-back manner, she could be fierce and competitive whenever someone either irked her, or captured her attention. Her often repressed ego came out every once in a while, as did: her temper.

Her temper wavered between implosive and explosive. Both sides were enough to cause even Dinobot, the fearless former Predacon, to give her a wide berth. If that wasn't bad enough; her control over her abilities slipped whenever she wasn't in control of her emotions. One example being the fact she'd accidentally killed Shadow's mother…

Despite the rougher edges of her personality: she got along with both Rattrap and Dinobot, the two most unlikeliest mech's in the universe.

His info gathering between Caitlin and Rattrap's interactions told him they enjoyed bantering and creating chaos. They enjoyed reactions. They liked to see what made others crack and test their limits. A dangerous pass-time, especially when one insults a Predacon's pride (former or otherwise). That was what connected the rat and the human. She could play his game and handle him as well as she could play poker (which she could cheat the rat at, and win). The two of them liked to make jokes and sarcastic remarks, which varied in lethality depending on their moods. Those were their similarities.

Their differences were that Rattrap was judgemental and selfish – where Caitlin didn't judge and whilst she might get preoccupied a bit with her own problems, she was always willing to help others. Well, those she cared about or she wanted a favour… There was a small fact that Rattrap was what her kind would call: a racist. She didn't appear to appreciate, understand or see the point of racism. Just because someone looked different, didn't mean they didn't bleed or cry – or even fall asleep on a late afternoon, and wake up after dark: and don't know what goddamn day it was – just like everybody else.

She did observe the oddest things…

From watching Caitlin and Dinobot interact, he often marvelled how she took Dinobot in stride: his temperament, his dominating and aggressive personality and his sheer need to destroy things… Brutally. This never seemed to bother her, overly much. She had stated she appreciated his honesty: no matter how harsh it might be. He never tried to be something he wasn't. She enjoyed arguing and talking with him. Dinobot was, Wolfang had surprisingly found, introspective. _That_ was something Caitlin found intriguing. He was one of the few who'd talk hours with her on the subject of philosophy. Optimus talked with her on that subject as well, but she seemed to prefer Dinobot's thoughts on the matter.

Both of them liked literature; Shakespeare in particular. Wolfang had stumbled upon them, when Caitlin had been quoting some line. Her tone had been more musical than normal, harmonic and earthy. The tenor of her tone was engaging and soothing. It reminded him of when he'd heard her sing once. Sometimes she was tone-deaf, other times she sang so clearly and purely: she took him on a journey. There were times when her voice was smoky, seductive and mysterious: It all depended on her mood. He learnt quickly to avoid her whenever she sang heavy metal…

He returned to his previous thought, to avoid revisiting that memory: he remembered how they played a certain game of theirs. Whether they were in each other's company – with no pressing matters like a battle with Preds: one of them would say a quote and the other had to guess the play or book or artist it originated from. They usually made bets, adding an interesting edge to the game. But, they didn't like other's joining in on their game. They actually snarled at anyone who dared interrupt – _unless_ it was important.

But, these observations weren't helping him understand.

"What do you mean… _he came_?" he asked, lacing his fingers together.

She didn't look up at him, clenching her fingers like claws on the table. "He… he came for me… when I… he came despite what… That he never would… But he did…" Her words were hesitant, unsure. She still didn't look up at him. Her jaw clenched and she leant backwards, folding her arms defensively as her shoulders hunched. It was as if she was trying to curl into herself as much as possible – like she wanted to disappear, withdrawing into herself. He didn't know whether she was pained, confused, angry or just embarrassed. A flicker of flames crackled around her fingertips, instantly drawing his focus to them. He tried to peer into her mismatched eyes to catch some sort of emotion. But _predictably_ he was unable.

Caitlin's self-defence mechanism was to withdraw completely away from the source of what was bothering her. She turned it all inwards and would remain unresponsive. He'd seen it happen a few times. It got dangerous when someone startled her when she was in that mood. She had also developed a severe dislike of anything resembling a scalpel…

There was also a case where her mind '_Screamed'_ – sending a mental shockwave that knocked everyone onto their backs: and the air would turn dangerously electric. She'd first done that when Rhinox had been showing her something in the back: around electrical equipment. They were fixing the base after the failed lift-off. She hadn't been in good mood that day. Cheetor had been going on and on about missing the chance to return home: and she lost it. Once she had calmed down, she had just stared at the destruction around her.

Optimus had moved to console her, but for some reason: his quick movement caused to cringe and shrink back… and run off again.

Then, there were times when he noticed that whenever someone made their affection of her too noticeable, she would cringe away.

And then, he realised it.

She was frightened by love of any form. She would do anything to protect her loved ones, but she possessed a fear of that love. For, they alone held the power to break her – where say, a stranger, would not. That was her greatest fear: to be broken and hurt by the ones she loved. From what he'd overhead, she'd already walked down that path. She didn't need another trip. But, these thoughts and observations weren't helping him understand… _why_. It all came down to an event that happened before he'd landed on this planet – and to one certain arachnid…

"What did Tarantulas do to you?" he asked finally.

Her reaction was as immediate: she tensed until her back was unnaturally straight – and stiff. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at him, sitting so still she appeared more like a complicated piece of artwork than a breathing human. For once, Wolfang cursed his heartless curiosity as he heard her heart start to beat wildly inside her chest – like a stampeding herd of stallions trying to break through her ribcage. And the panicked look in her eyes made him feel worse.

That tight, painful feeling in his Spark was the only reason he differed from his Predacon brethren: he sympathized and felt remorse.

In one of the Dark Syde's hallways, Evil Rhinox was making his way towards his next destination he'd planned out. He stopped, looking left and right when he felt something. And low-and-behold: Terrorsaur appeared before him… upside down. "Look who's here… our _loyal_ friend," the red pterodactyl greeted, placing an obvious amount of stress on the word: _loyal_.

Slowly, Rhinox tilted his head back to its upright position. "Is that supposed to mean something?" he asked whilst Terrorsaur dropped to the floor.

Immediately, the prehistoric chicken launched into a monologue. "Deep six the wide-eyes routine—YOU'RE trying to destabilise the entire operation, so you can knock off Megatron and take over! Well, I got news for you, pal…" And just as immediately, he started ass-kissing the brown-beaked buzzard! "I _like_ this plan. So here's the deal. You and me. Equal partners."

"No, here's the deal," Rhinox replied and grabbed Terrorsaur's neck in an escapable vice, then pushed him against the wall – halting the pterodactyl's attempts to transform with a simple squeeze of his fingers around his throat. "You're gonna keep your big beak shut, and do _exactly_ what I tell ya! Cos one false move and you're a new fast-food sensation: Pterodactyl Hot Wings! GET IT?!" he stressed, tightening his grip to the point he heard a bit of cracking beneath his fingers.

Then, he released Terrorsaur who fell immediately to the floor, choking out: "Got it!"

"Good," Rhinox said like he was a pet dog that had just remembered how to behave and walked away.

Later, found Megatron using the ship's cameras to locate two missing arachnids of his crew. He found them too, "Tarantulas? Blackarachnia?" But both of them were comatose and had been trapped inside their own webbing. Unable to get them to respond, he realised something: "These spiders have been poisoned! He pressed a few buttons, frustrated as he set up the microphone to echo throughout the entire ship, proclaiming: "WHAT'S GOING ON AROUND HERE?!"

…

And outside the ship, a set of four Maximals finally realised why Optimus had decided to leave Rhinox as he was. Cheetor chuckled as he looked up at the ape. "Now I get it! Leave Rhinox in there, and let him create total chaos!"

"Yes. I was guessing that the transmutation would push his aggression quotient right off the scale. And it looks as if I guessed right…"

"There's just _one_ problem," Dinobot pointed out, raising one claw as if to highlight the singular issue. "Megatron is no-one's fool."

"Yeah," Rattrap agreed. "I mean-eh-pretty soon he's gonna put two-and-two together and then what happens to Rhinox?"

And of course, the answer would have been obvious: Rhinox would be a goner…

Caitlin stared at the wolf in front of her. She was unable to believe he'd just asked her that question. It had seemed it had become an unwritten rule that no one asked her about it. Half of the time she spent under Tarantulas oh-so-fucking tender-loving care were… hazy at best or so fucking clear it made her want to plunge into a river of lava – because she didn't think even hot water would do the job properly to wash that bastard's claws off her. He hadn't done anything remotely… sexual in nature, but he had laid her bare beneath him like she was his science experiment. And she had been. Just look at her new arm and eye. She remembered him taking the arm off and then putting the new one back on. She had completely blocked out the pain for when he did the eye, but she had felt and heard him.

Just the memories were enough to send a shiver racing down her spine.

Her left arm reached out and hovered over her red eye. Despite where it had come from and who'd made it: she had come to rely on it. It made targeting pretty easy, and she could zoom her vision in and out over a 100 yards. She had quickly learnt that she had to cover the other eye when zooming out, or risk feeling ill. To her mind, when she zoomed in or out, it was as if she was moving with it – whilst the other eye remained still. It was like being spun around without going anywhere. She had half a mind to make herself an eye-patch, but she figured it was too much damned trouble. So, she had left the eye as-is… but the memories it brought whenever she looked in the mirror… And here she was thinking she'd gotten over it already.

"Well?" Wolfang asked, his tone flat and void of emotion – but one glance in his optics told her he regretted asking, but he'd made his decision and he was going to stick with it. Bastard!

Lowering her arm she realised she'd used the right. A memory flashed of inconsequential gibberish in a language she didn't understand. Perhaps it had been the Predacon's native language. Whatever it had been, sounded like techno-growling; it had been hair-raisingly freaky – and not a comfortable thing to listen to when an electrical scalpel-saw was heading your way to cut off your arm… She flinched at that. She'd never seen anything like it before. It had the distinct scalpel shape, but it had a serrated edge with two blades stuck together. When it was on, the two blades flashed back and forth next to each other showing its intent lay not in making a clean slice: it would be a hacking job…

"I…I can't… I can't," Caitlin replied, hating how weak she sounded. She gritted her teeth and curled into herself, feeling a panic-attack coming on.

Her mind retreated inside of herself, whilst distant, she felt her physical self be brought into a close embrace with the damned-bastard wolf!

_'Oh shit no!'_ she growled inwardly. _'Not in front of Wolfang. Nah-uh! I ain't being weak in front of nobody!'_

'_He wasn't here before everything began,'_ another part of her said, rubbing her inner-version shoulders in an effort to console herself. _'Maybe it's time we talk about it!'_

_'Nah-uh!'_ she replied stubbornly, shaking her head. _'Not gonna happen. Can't talk about it! Must forget it! Lock it in the cellar!'_

'_We go into the cellar from time to time,'_ the same voice replied reasonably. Too damned reasonably. _'We can't push everyone away forever. We need help. Now.'_

_'Yeah!'_ another part declared, this one dressed in jeans, studs and leathers. It was the independent version of her. She was the part of her that didn't need help from anyone. But, _she_ wanted her to let _her_ get help. What the _fuck_ was wrong with her? Hang on a second; if there's something wrong with _her_, then there was something wrong with _her_! Good Lord, her head hurt!

Glaring up at the independent version of her, she scowled in betrayal: _'You're meant to be the me that doesn't accept help from anyone! We can stand on our own two feet!'_

The independent part of her scoffed, giving her a raised brow. _'Trust me, I hear ya. But we're not standing on our own two feet well enough to stand unaided. This time, I'm admitting we need help. If I can do it, so can you. No buck up and get out there and tell him everything!'_

_'But shouldn't I at least tell Rattrap and Dinobot first?'_ she asked in defeat, having falling to her knees. The reasonable her stepped back to let the independent her kneel before her.

_'They ain't here now. Wolfang is. Besides,'_ independent her smirked, _'Can ya see Rattrap or Dinobot trying to console us? Put Rattrap ina room full of breast-plate-less bunch-a woman and he'll be over 'em like stink ona warthog. Put him wiht a crying girl and he'd avoid her like the plague. And Dinobot? He would think this a weakness. That is just his way…'_

_'Ay!_' reasonable her butted in, _'I'm the reasonable one, stop doing my job!'_

_'And such a good job you were doing of it too,'_ her sarcastic side drawled as it elbowed its way into the circle. Blasting the other two out, she turned a deadpanned expression upon Caitlin that reminded her of her mother. _'Now I'm not the one who cares about things,' _she started as she folded her arms_. 'But let's get something clear. We need help. Wolfang here has oh-so kindly offered his help. In a roundabout way, I spose that's his way of caring. We don't got many friends, especially since our former boyfriend dumped us over the internet.'_

_'Oh come on!'_ she groaned, remembering the incident. _'Didja hafta remind me of that?! Seriously?'_

The other part of her smirked in reply and then shrugged. _'Distract you from the current situation enough not to notice your own feelings: and I'd say we gotta home-run back to sanity. Well,'_ the sarcastic her amended with a dark grin, _'as sane as the insane can get. After all, you've made up oh-so many different versions of your own self to talk to yourself. Now, we live in your mind and talk like we're best buds – even the ones that could care less about the world and everyone in it.'_

Caitlin flinched, remembering one particular part of her she'd made up. She cared nothing about anyone, had a thirst for bloodshed and was very temperamental. That was the part of her that wanted revenge on the world for all the hurt that had been done to her. That part, she called Evil her. Original, she knew, but it was the truth. The only way she'd been able to combat Evil her allure was to create Good her. Good her was everything kind, considerate and caring.

_'Why'd you bring _her_ up?'_ Caitlin asked, tone defeated. The shadows lengthened in the room….

Sarcastic her cocked her brow, kicking a shadow that tried to latch onto the original Caitlin's leg. _'Because with the way we're going… you're gonna bring her outta the cellar ya locked her in. Now, if you _don't_ want to become her and destroy our new friends, I would highly suggest you screw ya head on straight and accept the help that's been offered. _Do ya comprehend the situation now?_ Or do ya wan-'it in writing so you can overlook it in ya sleep? I can do that for ya if ya like…'_

'_That won't be necessary,'_ Caitlin retorted.

Sarcastic her gave a mock salute_. 'Always of service, my Lady. Is there anything else you acquire of me, or can this humble piece of imaginative personality be on her way to the dark recesses of your mind? She would very much like to plan a few ways to get back at that fucking spider. I have an interesting theory of using shaving out his insides with a serrated metal spoon…'_

_'No, thank you,' _Caitlin replied and for a moment, looked down at the ground at the trapdoor with three locks and chains… This time, she noticed the shadows.

Then, she focused on returning to the physical world…

…

Wolfang didn't know what to do. One minute he'd asked her the question – then her eyes had widened. He knew that look immediately. Sheer terror, cornered and completely volatile, but then her eyes had misted over and she'd gone limp. She'd just begun to fall from her chair when he reached out and caught her arm. Lifting her up, he dragged her over and pulled her to his chest-plate. He was a bit rusty on comforting someone, but from the looks of it: Caitlin needed it. Very badly. Why the other's hadn't noticed how badly she'd been teetering on the edge was a mystery. Perhaps they just didn't know how to console her. And if so, he was going to have a stern talking to them.

Frowning, his amethyst eyes took in her fragile form. She weighed next to nothing in his arms, so unlike his sister who'd weight more than freight train…

Remembering his sister, he remembered that something familiar could help her come out of… whatever it was she was under.

With that in mind, the wolf leapt to his feet and raced for her room. He located her sleeping bag and wrapped her inside it before embracing her tight against his chest-plate. Even through the metal, he felt her fragile, yet firm heartbeat. She was still breathing, which was a good sign as any – but she wasn't waking up. Gently, he pried the left eye open – the pupils had widened until there seemed to be no hazel left. Looking on the right, the red eye held no light – having shut down…

_Now_ he was worried.

"Caitlin!" he growled out, giving her a slight shake. "Wake up!" She didn't respond. He slapped her lightly across the face. She _still_ didn't respond. Anger and desperation forced him to bend down to her ear, take a deep breath and yell: "DAMN YOU INSUFFERABLE BITCH WAKE UP!" With an audible gasping breath, Caitlin's eyes snapped open. For a moment, they were wide-eyed and bewildered and then focused on his amethyst orbs. "By the Inferno!" he breathed, relieved that she'd finally snapped out of it. "I thought you'd never wake up!" Caitlin didn't reply – and it was then he remembered exactly how he was holding her… "Oh sorry… um. I didn't know what to do. You just… completely blacked out. I thought something familiar would help you – and the reason I'm holding you like this was in case you moved about in your sleep or something. I didn't want you to get hurt…" His rambles came to a halt when he saw a smile curve at the corner of her lips. "What in the name of the Universe are you smiling at, woman?!"

Caitlin chuckled shakily and pushed away from him. "Never thought I'd say it, but… you're cute when ya ramble, Wolfy." Wolfang had never blushed so hard in his life. This time, Caitlin laughed. It was a bit hoarse and rusty, but it was a laugh. That, if anything, was a sign that said she was feeling better. Awkwardly, he set her back on her feet and stood up, over towering her easily. Then she smirked at him, "So… robots can blush?"

"Don't you _dare_ tell anyone else!" Wolfang growled out awkwardly.

She held up her hands. "Secret's safe with me so long as you don't tell anyone I broke down in front of ya. Deal?"

Wolfang shook his head. "I wouldn't have told a Spark or Soul a word about it."

She blinked at him then looked away. "Did you still want to know?'

Wolfang looked away this time. "Only if you want to, not because I asked you to."

"Sit down and I'll tell you. I warn you though, it's hazy at best."

"If it helps you, then what does it matter if you can't remember everything that sick bastard did to you?"

"Touche. Now sit down and lemme tell you the story!"

"Touchy! Wasn't it just a minute ago you had a mental breakdown?!"

"Only cos I have such a perfect example of the by-product in front of me, Blush-boy."

"Don't call me Blush-boy you Mental Case."

"I already was one before you came; don't need to shout it off the rooftops or anything. The world already knows. Can't explain you though…"

"Why you…!"

And they were at it again…

Scorponok had finally healed and told his story like a toddler that had a scary nightmare telling his parent. He even had the appropriate expression whilst he said: "And I looked up… Blam!"

"Well, it seems I've made a mistake by re-programming the Maximal, yeess," Megatron said slowly. Then his tone hardened. "But fortunately, this can be rectified! It's time to bring this experiment and Rhinox himself, to an end!"

…

"We gotta move, and fast!" Cheetor exclaimed – all just about ready to get out there.

"Not yet!" Optimus replied. "If we intervene now, we're facing seven Predacons. Including Rhinox."

"And if we wait," Rattrap added, "We're facing six Preds and a large collection of rhino-bits!"

"He's right!" Dinobot added. "The game… is over."

"Not quite," Optimus said with a slight smile in his voice. "Rhino and Megatron have one more hand to play… with each other. We'll move in closer, but then we'll hold our position—Until I give the word!" he stressed, looking more at Dinobot than anyone else. Though it also referred to Rattrap as well.

…

Back in Beast Mode, Rhinox was marching down an elevated walk way – when a familiar charismatic and smooth tone sang: "Rhi-nox!" and from his left, Megatron appeared on his floating stand to greet his… Predacon. "Such a pleasure to see you, Rhinox."

"Always a treat to see you too," Rhinox replied with lacing sarcasm.

"TRAITOR!"

"Yup!" Rhinox agreed, unfazed by Megatron's glare. "You gotta point there. In which case… RHINOX TERRORSIE! They're playing our song, Megatron," he said once he'd transformed and then grabbed the Predacon leader and hauled him forward with a glare of his own. "Time to dance!"

"Oh I do-so hate to disappoint," Megatron said evenly. "But you won't mind if I… sit this one out!" he growled, punching the rhino and moving the pedestal out of the way.

Then Rhinox was facing Scorponok and Terrorsaur, the former of which transformed, ready to fight. Terrorsaur there just to appear like he wasn't a betrayer. A funny thought that… With a mocking tone, Rhinox turned to face Terrorsaur. "Oh? You're back on their side now? Gee! A guy can hardly keep track!"

"What's he talking about?" Scorponok asked.

"Ah, don't listen to him!" Terrorsaur made panicky, denying faces whilst he coughed and shook his hands haphazardly, but Rhinox had struck a chord within the scorpion – all he needed was a bit more flare to get his audience dancing to his tune.

"When I slagged you and bug-eyes, _he_ was watching and smirking!"

"Th-that's a lie!" Terrorsaur denied whilst Megatron watched his incompetent soldiers...

"Then how come you're looking so shifty all of a sudden?" Rhinox replied while Megatron realised the rhino's intentions. They were made all the more clear when Scorponok leapt over the rhino and faced the pterodactyl instead of his primary objective.

"He's a smirker!" the scorpion cackled. "MANGLE!" he yelled and then head-butted his opposition. Though, Terrorsaur was a dirty-fighter and flipped him over.

"No! Idiots! He's the enemy!" Megatron roared, but it was too late as Rhinox laughed and grabbed the two idiots and whacked them together. They were unconscious immediately. He tossed them over the bridge and then pulled out his gun and aimed at Megatron – aiming for his legs. The T-rex had no choice but to fall.

"Well, whaddaya know," Rhinox said with a triumphant, smug smirk. "I win!" But he couldn't leave it there whilst his victim was there. So, he did what most villains seemed to do: he started monologue-ing. "Reprogramming me was the worst mistake you ever made. Cos now that I'm a Predacon, I'm just a bit too crafty for you!"

"Yes," Megatron said, hobbing in a sort-of kneeling position whilst he was forced to listen to the rhino's diatribe. "I see this now..."

"It's called irony, Sport. I take over and you head straight for the recycling bin… yeess!"

"So it would seem," Megatron replied, looking to the side. "And now Rhinox, you're teaching me a valuable lesson."

"Yeah? What's that?"

"Sometimes Predacons gloat too much!" the t-rex replied and then shot at the transmuter, switching it on the rhino – which would reprogram him back into a Maximal.

"Wha-wha what happened?" Rhinox, the normal Rhinox asked, understandably confused.

"Maximal buffoon!" Megatron growled and without further adieu: shot at Rhinox, sending him flying backwards. "You thought you'd outwit _me_!"

Then, as soon as the T-rex asked that question, the side of the ship exploded to reveal Optimus, Cheetor, Rattrap and Dinobot – all of whom were ready for battle. "MAXIMISE!"

"Okay, how about we plunk your butt a couple yards downfield?" Cheetor quipped once he was sure they had the Predacon's attention – but then Waspinator came flying in a haphazard circle. Only sparing him a 'what-the' look, the cheetah blasted the wasp out of the air…

Waspinator came to a sudden stop on the floor, proclaiming: "More than meets the eye!" before powering down into a dead faint, but as soon as he did: against his will, he fired his gun which then shot upwards at another part of the transmuter.

Dinobot, meanwhile, launched his rotating blade straight through Scorponok's shoulder. Who, understandably, didn't quite find it polite and in retaliation he pounced over, spun low and used his tail to trip the big lizard onto his back. When Dinobot tried to get back up, the scorpion slammed on top of him…

Optimus and Megatron were growling at each other, Optimus dancing with his swords until Megatron fired at him.

Dinobot, fed up with being hit: grabbed the scorpion by the throat and pinned him to the ground – using his rotating tail-shield blade thing to continuously hit Scorponok's head in a brutally excellent fashion.

Optimus launched himself at Megatron, but the purple dino kicked him back. Laughing, Megatron got back up and marched back towards his foe. "OPTIMUS!" Cheetor yelled in concern, but he need not have feared, for in retaliation: Optimus cut of Megatron's dino-head hand. However, Waspinator's accidental fire had set in motion an imbalance of the transmuter… "IT'S GONNA BLOW!" Cheetor realised, verbalising it for everyone else as if they didn't realise it.

"PREDACONS! Take cover!" Megatron warned.

"Dinobot, grab Rhinox and lets GO-GO-GO!" Optimus yelled.

Dinobot, however, didn't like that plan. In his mind, it was an excellent moment to: "NO! This is our chance to take command of the base!"

"That's an order!" Optimus yelled back.

Rattrap was already out of the exploding bomb, putting two fingers to his lips and shouting out, "Yo everybody! Out've the pool!"

Grabbing Rhinox, Dinobot followed his leader with the others out of the base.

And… taking shelter beneath a piece of equipment, Terrorsaur was cursing his rotten luck – because Megatron was taking shelter right next to him. Scared witless about what his leader might to do him, he took the time to explain everything or at least, save face. "NO! look, I can explain!" And damn, could his voice get any more shaky and high-pitched?!

Slowly, Megatron turned to the red over-sized and featherless chicken. "Let me… share this with you, Terrorsaur," he began almost calmly. "I am very, very unhappy, indeed!" he growled out then grabbed him by the beck and pulled him closer. "Oh yeeessss!"

After hearing everything that happened, Wolfang could only stare at her. Uncomfortable under his gaze, she rubbed the back of her neck and looked back out over the savannah. They still had yet to hear from Optimus and the others regarding Rhinox. So, instead of talking about the… Incident in her room, they'd taken it outside on neutral ground. There, Caitlin had told the wolf everything that she could remember had happened to her. From the torture both physical and mental, the injection of Tarantulas experimental psychedelic poison that had forced her to hallucinate a magnitude of horrors – whilst every nerve ending senses were amplified. Which meant that any pain she had felt, had been maximised by 10 of what it would have normally been. A simple poke was a stab. Ever had a paper cut? Imagine it with the added affect of a hot-poker digging into your skin.

Wolfang turned away. "I won't be able to make it better, but now that it's out in the open – it should stop bothering your sleep."

Caitlin shook her head and tilted her head back to face the sky. "The physical pain I can deal with. It's the emotional one's that hurt the most… they're the ones that will always bother me. But, lucky for me – I'm used to emotional scars. It's the one thing the entire human population has in common with one another. No one is free of pain. There are only different methods people take to reduce its affects. Mine is usually through avoiding the issue, downplaying it or taking my mind of it."

"Avoiding you're problems isn't exactly… _healthy_, Caitlin."

"Gee, ya think?!" she bit at him then sighed and looked back up at the sky. "Sorry. I don't usually share my thoughts and feelings… I spose this is what people call… friendship."

Wolfang's amethyst eyes snapped towards her. "Aren't you friends with the rest of the Maximals?"

She cocked her brow at him. "I'd describe them as: Cheetor, little brother. Rhinox, uncle. Optimus, dad. Tigatron, cousin. Rattrap and Dinobot… Spark-Mates?"

"Why do you keep saying that like it's a question? You're souls have bonded on a level you Humans could not conceive."

"Oh really, is that so? Am I just to accept the fact I can now feel their emotions and they can feel mine? That no matter where they are, I can locate their exact location? That they can sometimes hear my thoughts and sometimes they can hear mine? You have no concept of why it feels so… strange. Through all of my life, my mind has been my own. Sure, a few things have impacted it to change it, but no one can touch me inside my mind. There, the real me hides as often as the other me's…" she stopped, horrified she'd admitted she had multiple personalities.

"Multiple you's?" Wolfang asked slowly…

She rolled her eyes. "Sure, _that's_ what ya focus on!"

"Hey, how often do ya meet someone who admits they've got voices in their head?"

She blinked. "Fine, ya got me. But don't you dare tell anyone!"

"Or which one of you will go nuts on me?"

"_All of them_."

"…. I will never speak of it to anyone."

"Good, we have an understanding…"

"Yeah… Just so you know: you should use that line on Megatron sometime. You might give him a run for his money."

"Nah, his brand of insanity goes a long way to sucker for punishment."

"How'd ya figure that?'

"Have you seen his crew lately?'

"…Fair point," Wolfang said and then frowned. "Why are you telling me all this, by the way? Not that I'm complaining…"

Caitlin sighed and folded her arms. "Ever tried closing the gates on a floodgate, quickly?"

"No…"

"I'd say: _Google it_, but I'm afraid we're _waaaaaay-way-way_ outta reception…"

"You mean to say that, now you've started letting it all out: you can't stop?"

"Basically, yes and I…. I really don't like it. I'm going to take a nap. Wake me when the others get here…"

And before Wolfang could get another word in, Caitlin had already disappeared, leaving him wandering through this new revelation…

Returning to the Axalon, Optimus had Dinobot put Rhinox into the CR chamber. As soon as they had entered, Wolfang had greeted them from a computer, raising his hand whilst he ended the game. Turning on the seat, he'd taken one look at them and then said, "So… mission: Return Rhinox, successful I take it?"

"How'd you know Rhinox had been taken?" Optimus asked as he listened to Sentinels' diagnostic run of the rhino. Thankfully, there wasn't anything serious.

"Caitlin told me," the wolf replied gesturing with his thumb towards her room. "She vented 'bout it to me and how much she dearly wished to turn the oversized tin-head into a hood ornament. I believe she wished to use the floating pedestals to do it. I have no idea how she'd make it happen, but I've no doubt she'd enjoy trying out every method conceivable. The creativity of that's girl's wicked morbid mind is truly… something else."

"Oh? Is that admiration I hear?" Optimus laughed, grinning. Since the two of them were usually at their throats like Dinobot and Rattrap where, the ape thought this good news indeed.

The wolf snorted and shook his head, but didn't refute it. Instead, he turned to Rattrap who was glaring at him suspiciously. Smirking, Wolfang looked down at him. "Something you want, Ratbag? I mean, I know I'm gorgeous, you don't need to make it that obvious. And, just so you know – and I don't hurt your feelings – but I don't swing that way." Spluttering, Rattrap could not form a coherent word. Giving up on his verbal skills, he lashed out his gun, but Wolfang ducked behind Rhinox who just got out of the CR chamber. "Hey Big Guy!" Wolfang greeted the rhino cheerily. "Glad to see you in one piece. Was worried about you for a second…"

"Thanks," Rhinox smiled, then looked around, searching for someone. "Where's Caitlin?"

"Sleeping," Wolfang replied, gesturing to the hallway.

"She never sleeps during the day," Cheetor frowned.

The wolf shrugged and raised his arms. "Maybe she felt taking a nap would ease her pain?"

"What pain?" Rattrap asked, then narrowed his optics on him in suspicious. "What did you do to her?"

Wolfang gave him a dry look. "Why, we tried out best at making human-to-bot love, of course. They have this whole touching-thing that's actually quite nice…" Smirking at the infuriated expressions he was getting, he laughed and shook his head – unable to keep holding his straight face. "By the Matrix, you actually believed me! I did nothing to her, Rat-bag. We talked, she got tired, she went to bed… that's all."

Optimus shook his head at the wolf's antics. "Well, as soon as Rhinox has healed we're going to head out. I believe it's high time we all relaxed while Megatron deals with repairs."

Later, Rhinox had been fully repaired and the rest of them headed out to a spot to relax. Wolfang offered to wake Caitlin up. No one, not even Dinobot, was confident enough to wake Caitlin up once she was asleep. Cheetor had learned the hard way that she wasn't a morning person. Especially during the first month she had joined the group. Going from at least ten cups of coffee a day to none in such a short amount of time, understandably messed up with someone's mood. Wolfang heard she had threatened to disembowel each and every one of them with a splintered spoon if they continued to wake her up at such an '_unsightly hour!_' Apparently 5a.m in the morning wasn't her happy hour.

And even if she had a short nap or was simply dozing – anyone who woke her up risked her temper.

Taking a breath, the wolf knocked on her door three times and waited for a reply. He heard a few muffled sounds followed by a loud bang and curse. Then Caitlin appeared; her hair free from her usual hair-tie to reach her lower back in a mess of waves. He was stumped for a moment, having never seen her without her hair-tie: then smiled at the sight she made. She looked absolutely ridiculous. Now, Wolfang had observed that Caitlin was not a vain creature, but she had a level for what she called "acceptable aesthetics".

And her hair very well resembled a bird's nest that had been hit by a hurricane…

"Whatcha-laughing at?" she growled out, cocking her hip to the side. Her arms folded across her chest as she glared at him for daring to wake her up.

"Seen yourself in the mirror lately?"

Her brow cocked. "For what reason?"

"Look at your hair…."

Frowning, Caitlin ducked back inside and saw her reflection then twisted to face the smirking wolf. And she realise why he'd been smirking at her. There was only one word that described it: ridiculous. She gave the wolf a blank stare. "You're so mature. So, I'm assuming you woke me up to tell me something?" she drawled whilst she combed through her hair with her fingers, wincing when she came across knots.

Wolfang nodded, leaning against the doorway. "They got Rhinox back. In the end, Megatron turned him back… something about Rhinox being far too tricky for him."

Caitlin shot him a side-long smirk, eyes sparkling. "No surprise there!" Stunned by that look for a moment, Wolfang could only watch as Caitlin returned to her hair. She gathered it all together then bound it up, a few stray strands resisted being pulled back. She glared at them, then tucked them behind her ears. Frowning, her eyes flashed to his – her one red eye glowing as her head cocked to the side. "You're pretty quiet, Wolfang. Any particular reason why?"

Wolfang blinked. "Don't you ever get tired of dealing with all that hair?"

She shrugged and grabbed her backpack. "I'll cut it when I get too frustrated with it. Til then, I can manage." She paused as she finished putting on the straps and then shot him a suspicious glance. "Why so curious, anyways?"

Wolfang cocked his brow. "You're not the one that has to look at it."

"And I don't change myself to suit the wants of others."

The wolf bowed, "Touche. And by the way: you're in an unusually chatty mood…" he said in surprised tone then shot her a look of mock horror. "and we're holding an actual conversation…"

She laughed and walked past him, give him a 'there-there' tap on his chest-plate. "I go through this phase every once and a while. Don't worry, it's only temporaroy. We'll be back at each other's throats in no time. So," she drawled as she looked over her shoulder, "Do you know where the others are?"

"Outside near the stream. Predator free."

"Sounds nice…"

It didn't take long for them to find the others. Optimus was lounging against a tree with a robot-version of a book on his lap. Cheetor was above him in the tree, looking as lazy as any other cat after a successful hunt. Rattrap was reclining against a rock, relaxed and happy they'd managed to piss off the Predacons. Rhinox was kneeling down in front of a flower, sniffing at its scent before dropping down with a sigh. "Ahhh… heaven!" he breathed.

Optimus laughed, spreading out his arms. "Good to have you back Rhinox."

"Yeah," Caitlin grinned as she and Wolfang came to a stop beside Dinobot who overlooked the others. "For a minute there, I thought you'd become the mad scientist I know you secretly are!"

Rhinox chuckled up at her. "It's good to see you're looking well."

Caitlin scoffed and pointed at him. "I wasn't the one that had the personality change. I second Optimus: it's good to have you back"

Cheetor, laughing nodded. "So, give us the scoop! What's it actually feel like, being a Pred?"

Rhinox hummed as he thought over it for a second, as he tried a way to put it in words. "Like you're three giga-bytes of attitude on a two-gig harddrive. No wonder they got personality problems." At his words, the Maximals laughed whilst Dinobot growled, clenching his fist as a silent way to say he wanted to choke them.

Caitlin shook her head and smiled at the group's antics.

In the mountains that were neutral territory, Vincent came to a stop atop the highest peak. It had taken him a while to get here, but here he was. The problem was that, despite his desire not to see the Kov again – they had contacted him. Apparently they had something for him; something that would bring Caitlin to her knees. She had proven to be an annoying adversary. Kneeling on the ground, he brushed away the snow off the contacting portal that they had made him. Finding it, he cut his palm with his blade with a hiss then pressed it to the surface.

Immediately, the ground lit up. Above him, the sky opened up to reveal a glowing vortex and with it, came the Kov that interacted with him the most.

"Lucariaus," Vincent bowed immediately. These beings demanded respect from him at all times. Failure to do so resulted in punishment. This Kov in particular was a vain one. He often took upon the form of a humanoid with wings, representing an Angel. But, in Vincent's experience: he was more like a Fallen Angel with a penchant for murder and mayhem. "I have come."

Lucariaus smiled and then held out a glowing orb. "This contains the soul of Caitlin's twin sister. She will be the key to her demise."

Vincent blinked; his mind boggling over this information that, he shouldn't really be surprised was possible. "How can this be?"

The Kov only smiled wider. "Megatron is conducting experiments with Dinobot's DNA. Give this to him with this," he handed over a vial of blood marked: Caitlin.

Taking it, Vincent did the only thing he could do: "Very well. I will make sure it happens."

"Good."

And as soon as the Kov vanished, Vincent stared down at the vial and the orb before turning and heading back to the Predacons.

* * *

Hehehe. Sometimes I wonder about my mind. Other times I just throw my hands up and admit defeat. My inner subconscious mind appears to know more about the story than I do: and have two months of emotional turmoil and you've got yourself a care factor of zero for the regard of many things like: sanity that would stop you putting in other thing's you'd worry 'bout putting in beforehand - and I get chatty when I'm tired.

It took me two months just to get this entire chapter out took. Kept editing it, deleting things, putting things in or rewriting it entirely because I had too little or too much. And I found I ramble a lot when I'm tired...

Enjoy your day, night, evening or whatever time-frame you're in.


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